A Gypsy's Tale
by karma67
Summary: Diamanta, a child on the run, stumbles over the Court of Miracles. 7 years later, history begins to repeat itself and she is caught between 2 lovers.
1. The Court of Miracles

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen, and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

Chapter #1

Diamanta stared out her window into the ebony sky dotted with pearly stars. To any other child her age this would be a beauty to behold. For Diamanta, this was another night of beatings and pain.

_I deserved it_, she thought to herself as she examined her blackened arm, _Papa says I was a bad girl that night. I am a very bad girl, and I deserve this. _An excruciating pain ascended her arm as she touched it softly. She held in her scream in fear her father would hear. Never again would she make that mistake again. She glanced at her healing leg, a reminder of what would become of her if she were to utter a single sound.

"Mama, let me live with you in heaven. If Papa beats me like he did you, please let him take my life as he did yours," she whispered into the raven sky.

"Get away from me, gypsy and go back to where you came from!" Diamanta gazed down into the streets to see her father throw a begging woman onto the cobblestone road. She stared up at him in horror and ran while caressing her bleeding hand. He cursed loudly to God and, as he turned his head up to the heavens, he spotted someone. A little girl was staring out of her window at him. _His _little girl.

_Slam_! The door shut behind him.

"I saw you, Diamanta!" he bellowed.

"Kyrie Eleison," Diamanta prayed. Someone chortled loudly from her open bedroom door. Diamanta spun around to see her father laughing insanely. A flash of hope flew across her heart. Maybe if she could keep him happy he wouldn't hit her. That flash simmered as he went back to the cruel stare he often gave her.

"Do you know why I'm laughing, Diamanta?" he asked in a dangerous voice.

"Because you're happy, Papa?" he took a step toward her.

"Don't you be smart with me, you disgusting thing. I was laughing because of what you said, daughter. _Lord have mercy_. Do you know why that's funny, Diamanta?"

"I…I don't know, Papa," she stuttered. He took another step toward her.

"It's funny because Lord never has mercy on bad little girls like you!" He grabbed a lock of her hair and pulled her out of the room.

"Papa, _please_," she said with pleading eyes.

"Don't you even _speak_ to me, you miserable, worthless thing!" he kicked her in the back of her neck, forcing her to tumble down the stairs uncontrollably.

She landed by the door. Diamanta lay motionless. _I'm going to die_, she thought to herself. _Mama, I'm coming. _

She opened her eyes to see the same hateful man at the top of the staircase.

"No," she gasped. "_No!_" _This is my time to die!_ Suddenly it occurred to her: she needed to escape. If she was going to die, now was not the time. She needed to get away. Far away. With as much strength as she could muster, she stood and headed for the door. It was her only passageway to freedom. Her only passageway to _life_.

"What do you think you're doing? Don't you dare leave this house!" She shoved the door open and ran for her life. Suddenly loud footsteps thumped behind her. "You think you can run away from me? You are just like your mother, always trying to get away," A voice boomed from behind her. Rain began to pour down the streets. Everything soon became a blur to both of them.

Diamanta ducked down a dark alleyway only to find she was trapped by a steel gate. And that her father stood on the other end of the alleyway.

"Poor Diamanta, trapped in the dark streets of Paris," her father said in a mock-tragic voice. Diamanta stared at her father, then the gate. With her last shred of hope, she climbed for her life. Her father's face converted from cruel satisfaction to disbelief. "Come back here you insolent…" Diamanta fell on the other side of the gate and rushed through the lonely streets, refusing to stop until her body collapsed.

"Where am I to live? I ran from Papa, my only life," Diamanta whimpered. "Lord, let me survive. Let me _live_. I came this far. Don't let me die. " She came upon a vast cemetery. "At least I have a place to sleep tonight. Tomorrow I will find a way to—"

"Did you hear that?"

"Frollo's men have found us!"

"What are they saying?"

"Never mind what they're saying, Darryl, warn the king!"

Diamanta spun around, trying to see these men through the heavy rain. Suddenly it occurred to her: The voices where coming from _below_ her. She looked downward only to see a crypt. _What sort of king lives inside a crypt?_ Diamanta asked herself.

_BOOM_! A clap of thunder echoed throughout the onyx sky followed by a streak of lightening. Without a word, Diamanta pushed aside the stone which enclosed the crypt and crept down the dark steps which, to her surprise, lead to a long hallway of sewage.

"Hello?" she called. "Is there anyone here? I haven't come to har—" someone from behind twisted her arm behind her back. A torch was lit, revealing several others standing around her menacingly.

"Identify yourself!" the voice behind her demanded

"I am Diamanta **Devereux. I—"**

"The traitor's child!" one man gasped. "Let the woman regret she was ever born to gypsies!

"What are we to do with her?" a man with a rather wide nose said. Another man with several gold teeth smiled cruelly.

"Kill her."


	2. Clopin Trouillefou

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

Chapter #2

"I do not mean you harm! All I ask for is a place to sleep tonight and nothing more," Diamanta begged, "so please don't hurt me. I've suffered enough tonight." A single tear fell from her eye.

"Make way for the king!" a voice shouted.

"May her mother suffer from her little girl's death," someone from behind her hissed. She was thrown roughly onto her knees. Trembling, Diamanta stood up to see a young man staring directly into her eyes.

He was a tall and lanky with a comically long nose and dark face framed by a black goatee, which gave him a strange sort of comforting appearance. He wore a deep blue outfit with what seemed to be a long purple collar, which neatly draped over his shoulders. Atop his smooth, raven hair sat a floppy midnight blue hat with a bright yellow feather projecting from the side. Despite his strange hat, he held himself with great dignity.

"Ma chere fille, are you the one who is considered the traitor?" the man questioned. Diamanta nodded yes, several tears falling from her eyes. From what appeared to be out of nowhere, the tall man pulled out a hand puppet that looked and dressed identical to him.

"She's confessed, Clopin! What shall we do with her? Eat her, like all the others?" the puppet spoke in a high-pitched voice. Diamanta gasped in horror. Satisfied with her reaction, Clopin continued his conversation.

"Oh, no! We mustn't do that! We don't even know what she did to deserve such a tragic fate!" Clopin exclaimed, staring directly at the group of guilty-faced gypsies who had treated her with cruelty.

"What do you suppose we do, then?" the puppet asked, crossing its little arms.

"There is a chance she may have simply stumbled across our hideout. We should ask her why she came here."

"Monsieur," Diamanta began.

"_Quiet! _Can't you see we're having a private conversation?" the puppet shrieked, spreading its arms out in frustration. Clopin slapped the puppet across its tiny face.

"Don't you know how to treat a guest?"

"But she's the daughter of Cecile!" it shouted.

"_Mama_?" Diamanta gasped, "You knew Mama?" Clopin bent down to her eye level.

"Of course I knew your mother, ma chere fille. You are Diamanta, no?" Clopin wiped a tear from her cheek.

"Cecile was a traitor to all gypsies," a voice whispered. Clopin stood up and turned to the group of gypsies.

"Tell me, what do you see before you? A revolting way to find revenge on an enemy? Perhaps a liar's daughter who, in some twisted way, deserves to die? I see none of that. Through my eyes, Diamanta is a child no older than ten who is suffering from a crime she didn't commit. Silence yourselves, or be gone!" Diamanta stared at him in amazement, now understanding why he was king.

"_Now_ can we get out of this sewage? We've all met each other and got along. Can we leave now?" Clopin's puppet, who had been silent for the last few minutes, complained.

"Oh my! We haven't all met each other!" Clopin said in mock-alarm. With his free hand, he took off his hat and bowed low. "I am named Clopin Trouillefou, King of Gypsies," he proclaimed, "and I am honored to be in your presence," he said as he kissed her hand. Before her face could redden with embarrassment, he positioned his hat back atop his head and led Diamanta by the hand into the Court of Miracles.


	3. Esmeralda

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen, and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

Chapter #3

"You live _here_?" Diamanta said with her eyes full of amazement. From the dark, damp tunnel of sewage she had suddenly entered a whole new world of a bright, colorful cavern bustling with life. She didn't receive an answer, for Clopin, who now saw her in full light, gaped in horror.

"Child, what has happened to you?" he exclaimed after taking notice to the several bruises and black eye she displayed. Diamanta immediately lowered her eyes, trying to push all the painful memories aside. Clopin knelt down and lifted her chin up with his index finger, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Who did this to you?" Diamanta pulled away while murmuring something about scratching herself on thorns. "Thorns cannot hurt you like that," Clopin said. "Who did this to you?" Diamanta looked at him with tearful eyes.

"Monsieur, all I ask for is a place to sleep tonight. I do not wish to bother others with my story," Diamanta said quietly. Clopin sighed.

"It is alright if you wouldn't like to tell me. In the meantime, let us find a place for you to sleep. Stay here." Clopin knocked on the door of a large nearby wagon. It was painted a pale blue which reminded her or her mother; innocent and almost angelic. A young woman with wavy raven hair and the most beautiful green eyes Diamanta had ever seen poked her head out of the door.

"What brings you here, Clopin?" she asked.

"I was just dropping by to see the most beautiful woman in Paris. Sometimes I wonder why someone hasn't swept you off your feet," Clopin said with a charming smile. She rolled her eyes.

"What do I need to do this time? I'm not helping you look for your hand puppet, if that's what it is."

"Ma chere fille, it is nothing like that!"

"_Ma chere fille_? So now you address me like you do children? Am I a child to you, Clopin?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You certainly pouted like one when I asked you to retrieve Puppet from that mud hole," Clopin murmured. He suddenly regretted saying that, for the young woman shut the small door firmly in his face. "_Women!_" he exclaimed as he threw his arms up in frustration. "They can never take criticism!" Diamanta, who watched the whole thing from afar, shrugged.

"When you're married I suppose wives grow bitter," she said, trying to make sense of it. Clopin laughed.

"Oh, we're not married, we're just old friends," he said as he knocked on the door again.

"What do you want, Clopin?"

"I need you to take care of someone for tonight," he said.

"I'm not taking care of that puppet. That thing has caused me enough frustration already." Clopin pulled out his hand puppet in the blink of an eye.

"See how she treats me, Clopin?" it screeched. "First she doesn't want to save me from the depths of a mud hole, _now _she thinks of me as a bothersome creature!" This made her smile.

"Silence yourself, Puppet! All I want to do is ask her to take care of a little girl for the night until I can find her a wagon of her own."

"Of course I'll take care of a child. Where is she?" she said kindly. Clopin beckoned Diamanta to come to the wagon. The young woman tried not to stare at Diamanta's bruises and smiled warmly. "I am Esmeralda. What's your name?"

"Diamanta Devereux," she replied. Esmeralda's smile faded. She gave Clopin a look that clearly stated, "What is wrong with you?"

"She stumbled upon the Court of Miracles bruised and in pain. Let her sleep with you for the night," Clopin said gently. Esmeralda took a glance at Diamanta's beaten face and forced a smile.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Come in, Diamanta!" Esmeralda said as she pulled the child into the wagon. "Welcome to your new home for tonight."


	4. The Story of Cecile Devereux

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

Chapter #4

"It's ok if you don't want me here," Diamanta said shyly. "Not many people do." Esmeralda pulled a nightgown from her own childhood out of a small drawer.

"Why would you think that?" Esmeralda asked as she handed her the nightgown. Diamanta pulled off her clothes and put on the nightgown.

"As soon as people know my name they hate me. The only one on my side is Monsieur Trouillefou." Esmeralda looked slightly taken aback.

"What about me? Aren't I letting you sleep with me tonight?"

"When you saw me you weren't bothered, but when you knew who I was you looked at Monsieur Trouillefou like he was crazy for letting me come in here." A long silence broke out between them. "What did Mama do to make all of you hate me?" Diamanta asked quietly.

"Diamanta, I wish I could tell you, but you are so young and innocent. You are still a child and by your bruises I can see you are in dire need for a proper childhood," Esmeralda said as she folded Diamanta's clothes into a neat pile. "In the Court of Miracles, we can give you that childhood."

"How are you going to do that if I'm not here?" Diamanta asked. Esmeralda gave her a puzzled look.

"Diamanta, this is your home now. You don't have to run anymore."

"I never did well inside a home," Diamanta said, gesturing to her injuries. "By daybreak I should be gone. I'll go from one place to the next, never having a home. I'll be just like a—"

"Gypsy," Esmeralda finished.

"Madame Trouillefou, you must understand I need to find where I belong," Diamanta explained.

"Diamanta, you belong here. You are…wait…what did you call me?" Esmeralda said in surprise.

"You are not Monsieur Trouillefou's wife?" Esmeralda laughed.

"Of course not! What gave you that idea?"

"The way you two bickered reminded me of my parents. Monsieur Trouillefou claimed you weren't his wife, but I didn't believe him."

"Why wouldn't you believe him? He is a very trusting person."

"No man is trusting, madam. Papa told women he didn't have a wife, but when Mama found out he—" Diamanta fell silent. "Good night, madam." She wrapped herself up with one of the colorful sheets and flung herself onto the soft mattress.

"Diamanta, what did your papa do?" Esmeralda asked quietly as she nudged the blue blanket that held the little girl. A soft sniff came from the sheet, which soon became wet with tears.

Esmeralda leaned forward and embraced the trembling bundle.

"Diamanta, let's play a game." Diamanta stopped crying and listened. "You can ask me any question you want, but then you have to answer my question. We'll go back and forth, asking and answering questions until we are both satisfied. Is that alright with you?" Diamanta poked her red, tearful face out of the sheet and nodded.

"I've decided what my first question is." Diamanta began, trying not to let her voice break into an uneven tone as it usually did when she cried. "Why does everyone hate Mama?" Esmeralda sat in silence as she thought out how she was going to explain this to such a small child.

"You see, Diamanta, most of the people in this world are good. Sometimes there are a few bad people. At first your mama was a very good person just like all gypsies. She tried what she could to make a few silver coins here and there. Unlike some people, she would never steal or hurt anyone to get this money. No, she always did an honest day's work. One day she met a man who hated gypsies with all his might. When she met him, she wore nice clothes, so he didn't recognize her. In one day she fell deeply in love with him. Suddenly she wanted to do bad things to make sure he wouldn't know she was a gypsy. She took things without asking and never gave them back. After a while, they decided to get married. Clopin told her this was a bad idea and if she married him, she would never be a gypsy ever again. This got your mama very, _very _angry. She told Clopin she would tell her fiancé where we were staying, and she did. At the time we lived in a very different place. When the now married Cecile Devereux convinced her husband to go into the old Court of Miracles, he found nothing but a gypsy's lost scarf. We had already moved here. Your papa wondered how your mama knew about the Court of Miracles, and she eventually had to tell him. One day she found Clopin entertaining small children with his puppets. After the children went home with their parents, she begged him to take her back to the Court of Miracles. She told him your papa was _very _angry, but he said no. After all, she told her husband about the Court of Miracles, which was a _big _secret that nobody knew about except the gypsies. After that all we heard about her is she had a daughter named Diamanta. All gypsies don't like your mama at all," Esmeralda said, pleased that she could reduce such a complex concept into a child's story. "Now I get to ask you a question." Diamanta sat up, the cover now completely off her.

"Ok, ask me."

"What did your papa do after your mama found out he told other people he wasn't married?" Diamanta wiped a small tear from her eye.

"I remember waking up to Mama and Papa yelling about something. I was used to this, but this time it was different. I don't know how, but for some reason Mama sounded different. Her voice was different. I went downstairs to see what was going on and they saw me." Diamanta wiped several tears from her eyes. Esmeralda put an arm around her. "Papa turned to me and walked toward me. He looked different. His face was angrier than it had ever been before. He raised his hand and suddenly Mama screamed 'Don't hurt my baby!'. He turned to look at her and gave her a look I never saw her give anyone before. Mama told me to go upstairs, but Papa told me to stay where I was so I could see what would happen if I ever became like Mama. Then he hit her with the back of his hand. And then he…he…" Diamanta burst into tears.

"Your mama is alright, right?" Esmeralda said in a slightly panicked voice.

"The next day was her funeral!" Diamanta wailed. Esmeralda clutched the sobbing child to her chest and rocked her back and forth. "He wouldn't stop! I tried to help him, but…" more tears stained Esmeralda's nightdress. Soon the whole story of how she came upon the Court of Miracles poured out of her accompanied by more weeping. Eventually, Diamanta cried herself to sleep.


	5. Madame Doreen

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

Chapter #5

"Diamanta, wake up," a familiar voice cooed. She opened her eyes to see a completely different woman standing before her.

Esmeralda wore a flowing white shirt tucked into a green and gold striped corset. A deep purple scarf decorated with what seemed to be gold coins was wrapped around her long violet skirt. Her hair was no longer a tangled mess pulled back by a pale yellow bow, but combed into elegant waves with a pink ribbon added for more color. There was no other way to describe her but beautiful.

"Good morning, madam," Diamanta said sleepily.

"Call me Esmeralda," she corrected. "Everyone here is on a first name basis. Well, almost everyone. Madame Doreen is very old fashioned and demands others treat her with respect," she said as she pointed out the wagon's door to a rather husky stiff-faced woman who appeared to be in her mid sixties.

"Is she friendly?" she asked.

"She has nine misbehaved children, and she is not ready to deal with another one. For now I'll say she is going to learn to warm up to you in time. Here's the problem we have: you need clothes and she's the only one who can find you something."

"Why not go to her wagon now and get this over with?" Diamanta asked as she edged toward the open wagon door. Esmeralda pulled her back by her arm.

"Do you know how she would think of you if you came in her wagon with a dirty face and nightclothes?" Esmeralda said in an almost strict tone. She grabbed a cloth and dipped it in a small bowl of soapy water. Diamanta reached for the washcloth, but Esmeralda quickly pulled it out of her reach.

"I can wash my face on my own," she said gently.

"No one knows how to present themselves to Madame Doreen better than I do," Esmeralda said as she scrubbed Diamanta's face like she was sandpapering a table rather than washing a child's face.

"Why would you say that, Esmeralda? Ouch, you got soap in my eye!" Esmeralda began to rake a fine-toothed comb through her hair.

"Madame Doreen was the one who took me in after both my parents died. I was not much older than you, Diamanta. Five of her children where grown men and women and out of her hands, which left her with four others. Something inside her told her she should take care of me. She was the strictest woman I've ever met. She told me to leave the wagon only a few years after your mother forced us to move here. I was fifteen years old then. For three years I haven't spoken to her. This is the first time I'm going to confront her, and I'm not about to mess it up. _This must be why she's so tense today_, Diamanta thought. Esmeralda closed the wagon door and handed her the now dry clothes.

After half an hour of pain Diamanta was able to convince Esmeralda to let her out of the wagon.

"Good morning, Madame Doreen!" a familiar voice exclaimed. Clopin pulled off his large hat and went into a low bow. Madame Doreen scowled and resumed sweeping the cobblestone floor around her cabin. Clopin ignored her reaction and continued. "A little girl only ten years old came to us in need of a home. Could you give her some clothes to wear?" he stuck out his lower lip to give himself the appearance of a wounded puppy. Madame Doreen rolled her eyes.

"I'll give her some clothes to wear for now, and for goodness sake Clopin, stop trying to pull that off. You're twenty and you still try to take advantage of people the same way you did when you were five! It's not cute anymore!" Diamanta and Esmeralda walked up to the two.

"Good morning, ma'am," Esmeralda said sheepishly as she stared at her feet.

"Did I ask you to speak, child?" she snapped. Esmeralda shook her head and Diamanta smiled nervously at her.

"This, Madame Doreen, is Diamanta, daughter of Cecile. She may not seem like someone who would want help with gypsies, but she _is _separate from her mother," Clopin explained. Madame Doreen gave Diamanta a disapproving look, but eventually grunted,

"Come inside, I might have something for you." Diamanta followed the round woman into her bright green wagon, which was filled with both finished and unfinished outfits, needles, thread, several other sewing accessories she had never seen before, and a few cushions to sleep on. Madame Doreen rummaged through several children's outfits before she came upon a loose tan dress with splashes of pink and green. It was one of the uglier dresses, but Diamanta was smart enough to know not to complain to a woman like this. She shoved the dress into Diamanta's arms.

"Get dressed," she demanded. Diamanta felt rather uncomfortable undressing in front of this woman. She noticed how different Esmeralda was from her. She would focus her attention on an object behind her, unlike this woman who would give her a cold, hard stare as she clothed herself. "You're going to be a pathetic apprentice, you know," she said. Diamanta stared at her in confusion. Madame Doreen sighed. "Stupid children," she muttered. "Haven't you seen gypsies dance in the streets?" Diamanta nodded. She remembered going to the Feast of Fools the year before. At nine years old she had found the rather colorful and exciting day the best thing she had ever experienced. Now that she was a year older, all her memories before her mother's death became just a blur of time. To Diamanta's surprise, the wagon door flew open followed by Esmeralda's angry shouts.

"Clopin, she could have been getting _dressed_! Don't do that!" Clopin ignored her and stepped inside with a wide smile.

"Ma chere fille, you are _beautiful_," he said as he held Diamanta's hand and spun her around. She giggled and sat down on the soft bedding.

"Clopin, why didn't you tell her she would be the apprentice?" Madame Doreen snapped.

"What are you…this is too soon to decide!" Clopin exclaimed. He looked back at Diamanta and gestured her to leave the wagon. Diamanta obeyed, leaving her with Esmeralda.

"What is happening? Suddenly I'm someone's apprentice. Esmeralda, do you know something?" Esmeralda kept quiet.

"I would rather not say, Diamanta. Things aren't completely decided yet." Diamanta stared directly into Esmeralda's eyes.

"What are they talking about in there?" she demanded. Esmeralda tried to hold back a laugh. How innocent and pure Diamanta appeared to be! However, one day later she is filled with spunk and attitude.

"Esmeralda, come claim your beast!" a man cried in the backround. Both Diamanta and Esmeralda reared their heads to see a small goat biting the leg of a man in his mid thirties.

"Dajali, no!" Esmeralda shouted at the insolent animal. "Stay here," she told Diamanta as she left to pull the angered goat from the man's leg. After Diamanta was sure Esmeralda was out of eyesight, she pressed her ear to the wagon door.

"Madame Doreen, she is only a child. Besides, give her some time to warm up to this place. Think of where she came from!"

"_You_ are a child, Clopin! You took over your father's duties when you were fifteen! Think of what Diamanta can do at such a young age."

"She is a _child_. She can't be doing the same thing Esmeralda does, she is far too young to understand and she is not fully grown. It's not like Esmeralda's going to die anytime soon. She doesn't need an apprentice."

"That is true, but she _does_ need a partner!"

"_I_ can be her partner!" a high-pitched voice exclaimed.

"This is _not_ the time to humor me with that stupid puppet!" Diamanta heard Clopin sigh and the rustling sound of a puppet being stuffed into his pocket.

"Madame Doreen, she is a child and she will not learn—"

"I AM YOUR GODMOTHER AND I DEMAND IT!" There was a long silence inside the cabin.

"Wow, she's bossy!" the puppet said.

"Sh! She's not supposed to know you're here! Quiet yourself!" Clopin said in a mock-whisper.

"You stupid boy, I am not joking we need to know how she will fit into the world of gypsies! If we don't decide now she will live a pointless life!" she screamed. Again silence filled the wagon. Eventually Clopin spoke.

"You win, Madame. Tomorrow Diamanta will become Esmeralda's apprentice, learning the dances of our heritage. However, if Frollo recognizes how many more gypsies there are, he will not hesitate to kill us, even the children."

"I am aware of that," came the smooth reply of Madame Doreen, "but in four years she will be permitted to leave the Court of Miracles. Before then would be far too early. Perhaps she would be discovered by her mother. After all, it was her who probably made these bruises."

"No it wasn't. Esmeralda told me. It was her father. Not too long ago her father murdered her…" Diamanta pulled away from the wagon. She did not want to hear anything about her parents. _My father will no longer make me suffer_, Diamanta thought, _This is my new life. My new world. No longer will I be the same Diamanta as before. I am no longer the Diamanta who takes in all her father's abuse. This new Diamanta is someone different; this new Diamanta is a gypsy. _


	6. The Wrath of Judge Thomas Gautier

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

Chapter #6

_7 years later_

Diamanta's heartbeat quickened as she was shoved below the trapdoor. She had rehearsed this several times before, but the real thing caused her stomach to twist in several unthinkable positions. This was, after all, her first time as the star in the Feast of Fools. Roughly a year ago Esmeralda fell in love with a young soldier, Phoebus, and no longer lived with the gypsies, but with him in a small home near the wagon where Clopin would tell children stories.

She pulled upward on the turquoise silk that was tightly wrapped around her chest. Even though it was near impossible for it to fall off, she was as self-conscious as ever. She flattened out her flowing emerald skirt and straitened the small gold tiara Esmeralda gave to her as a parting gift.

"See the finest girl in France," Clopin sang. Diamanta began to shake. "Make an entrance to entrance." Her body began to sweat profusely. "Dance La Diamanta, DANCE!" Suddenly the trapdoor opened and Clopin fell through. They greeted each other with a warm smile and immediately after he hoisted her up onto the stage where she was enveloped in pink smoke. The smoke quickly dissolved, revealing the gasping crowd. Diamanta repeated the same dance she had recited for the last few weeks. She stared into the eyes of every audience member she saw, captivating every man. Except one.

A graying man glared at her from the front row. He seemed so familiar yet so distant. The way his lips curled into a miserable frown and his cold, hazel eyes were so recognizable, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Suddenly it hit her. _Papa_, she thought. She gasped in horror, but quickly covered her emotion up by distracting the crowd with a flirtatious swing of her hips. Her father did not find this seductive in any way and smiled with cruel satisfaction that his daughter remembered him. Diamanta suddenly realized how exposed she was and felt rather uncomfortable that her father stood in the audience with all the other men who watched her every motion.

She pushed all her emotions to the side and fixed her eyes upon Judge Claude Frollo's replacement, Judge Thomas Gautier. He was, as well, a cruel man. He tolerated gypsies only because he feared what would become of him if he followed in Frollo's footsteps. He sat in his seat, his _throne_, and pretended not to be allured by her. Diamanta could see this easily by the way he grabbed the arms of his seat so intensely and how he appeared to look everywhere except at her. Even at the young age of sixteen, she had realized every man she saw had urges, no matter how "holy" they appeared to be.

_Should I do the same thing Esmeralda did last year? Should I force him to look into my eyes?_ Diamanta toyed with a few ideas. She eventually came up with a decision and in one fluid motion, she found herself sitting on the arm of the chair leaning closer to him. With two fingers she guided his face to hers. They sat together for a moment, staring into each other's eyes. Just as she planned, Diamanta pulled away when they got too close and smiled childishly. Unfortunately for her, Gautier planned something as well. He kicked the leg of the chair just before she could jump off the chair and the whole canopy fell over them. Diamanta, however, didn't realize Gautier had done this on purpose.

"My deepest apologies," Diamanta began. "It's only part of my act, sir, to play with the minds of others. If I knew it was a reaction to kick something, I wouldn't have—" Gautier appeared behind her and wrapped his hand around her waist. "What are you—" Gautier cupped his hand to her mouth and whispered into her ear. "A single word of this to _anyone _and all of Paris will be burning yet again. Now stay quiet so I can finish quickly." He took his hand from her mouth and caressed her arm.

"Please no," Diamanta whimpered. Gautier threw her to the ground.

"You brought this on yourself, you know," he said as he kneeled down.

"It was an act, only an act," Diamanta said, her voice shaking from trying to keep back tears. With two fingers he slowly stroked her thigh.

"Now for my half," a low voice growled. Diamanta looked up to see her father staring at the both of them, his hand outstretched.

"Papa!" she cried out in relief. "Papa, help me!" To her utter horror, Gautier pulled a small bag of coins out of his pocket and dropped into her father's open hand.

"Now leave us. I want to be _alone_," Gautier said.

"Papa! Papa, what are you doing? It's me, Diamanta, your _daughter_!"

"I am aware of that," he said in his unchanged cruel voice. "You were the only innocence I had, and when you left, you took my innocence away. _You _were my last shred of purity, and you ran away from me. Now your innocence leaves you." With that he left. Gautier began to lower himself onto her.

"Please don't do this to me. I'm only sixteen," she whimpered.

"You shouldn't have been dancing on stage, then. It is your own doing that brought you here." He sniffed her neck and lowered his face toward hers. Diamanta closed her eyes. Suddenly a large amount of weight fell over her.

"Don't touch her," a familiar voice hissed. She opened her eyes to see Clopin wrestling Gautier off of her. Once he was pulled off her, Clopin grabbed her by the arm and lead her out of the fallen canopy.

"He tried to…he wanted to…" Diamanta stuttered.

"I know what he tried to do. You're alright now," Clopin said coolly as he put an arm around her. "Let us go back to the Court of Miracles. Today has been troubling enough."

That night Gautier dreamed he sat at a wooden table with the ghost of Judge Claude Frollo. For a moment they sat in silence, Frollo picking at the grapes on his plate. Eventually Frollo spoke.

"So," he began, "why have you summoned me here?" Gautier cleared his throat.

"I have committed a horrible sin."

"What might that sin be?" Frollo asked in an almost gentle voice.

"Are you familiar with the gypsy Cecile?" Frollo smiled in a way that made Gautier feel very uncomfortable.

"Cecile _was_ a rather beautiful young woman. She fled from the gypsy rats once she came to her senses, I believe.

"Yes, that's true."

"What does she have to do with a sin? She died several years ago. Several people claim she committed suicide. Her poor husband wept for hours over her death."

"She had a daughter, Judge Claude Frollo. Her name is Diamanta. You see, Cecile really didn't commit suicide. Her husband murdered her and he abused his daughter until she was near death. She ran from his home and found refuge with the gypsies."

"A rather unwise choice," Frollo interrupted. "I would have chosen death." Gautier continued.

"Diamanta is sixteen now, and she's even more beautiful than her mother." Frollo's eyes lit up once he heard this. "I've seen her dance in the streets and she amazed me. I couldn't stop thinking about her. Every time I would let my mind wonder, she would find her way into my thoughts."

"Did you want her?" Frollo asked.

"Did I want her to do what?" Gautier said with a confused expression across his face.

"Oh, don't even try to act like a holy man around me. You know _exactly_ what I am talking about. Let me ask you again. Did you _want_ her?"

"Well, she's only sixteen. It's confusing how to explain it. It's just the way the sun catches in her chestnut hair—"

"Is blazing in you out of all control," Frollo finished.

"Yes! It's like fire."

"Hellfire," Frollo corrected.

"This fire in my skin," Gautier continued. "This burning desire—"

"Is turning you to sin," Frollo said as he leaned back in his seat and popped a grape in his mouth.

"It's not my fault!" Gautier exclaimed.

"You're not to blame," Frollo agreed. "It is the gypsy girl, the witch who set this flame."

"It's not my fault if in God's plan He made the Devil so much stronger than a man."

"Don't let this siren cast her spell, don't let her fire sear your flesh and bone," Frollo exclaimed suddenly.

"What shall I do, then?"

"Destroy Diamanta and let her taste the fires of hell, or else let her be yours and yours alone."

"No! Well yes, it could be a reason to burn her, but her father would have to burn as well."

"Why is that?" Frollo questioned.

"He gave me a chance at her."

"What, exactly, happened between you and Diamanta?" Frollo said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I stumbled upon her father, and we had a few drinks. I told her about the gypsy girl and he told me he was her father. Supposedly her mother was also the star of the Feast of Fools and she too played with the minds of men, flirting with every one of them. He knew she would do that as well, so for a few silver coins he told me a way to trap her alone with me." Gautier continued the story of how the canopy collapsed above them.

"Did you—" Frollo began, his eyes wide.

"No. A gypsy man pulled me off of her, and before I could get up they were gone. Perhaps this is a sign that I should just stop wanting her. There is no meaning in wanting someone you can't have," Gautier said in a reasonable voice. Frollo suddenly laughed in a way that sent chills up Gautier's spine.

"Who do you think you are fooling? The gypsy witches know how to pry themselves into the minds of innocent men like you! You'll never stop thinking about her, and until you are completely in her power you will always think of her!"

"I am not like you, I know how to control my emotions," Gautier said coolly. Frollo raised an eyebrow.

"We shall see about that. However, I assure you that your passion will last a lifetime."

With that, Judge Thomas Gautier awoke.


	7. Brown Eyed Boy

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

Chapter #7

"We shall have his _head_ for this!" the puppet squeaked.

"This isn't a joke, Clopin. Don't you understand what he tried to do with me?" Diamanta shuttered. Clopin put an arm around the young gypsy's shoulder and pulled her into a half-hug.

"Dia, we already found a new Court of Miracles and Gautier doesn't know where you are. The government is even more alert after the incident with Esmeralda and Frollo. There is absolutely no chance anything will happen to you. In fact, I've decided that you can stay in the Court of Miracles until the trauma of what happened yesterday fades away from your memory," he said kindly. Diamanta shook her head.

"I can do this," she said softly to herself, and without another word she walked out her wagon door and onto the streets of Paris.

"Dia, are you coming to dance today?" a voice asked. Diamanta turned to see another gypsy no older than six holding a wooden flute with a wide smile spread across her face. Despite her age, she was rather talented when it came to music. Diamanta nodded. "Can we play the same game we did last time?" the child asked excitedly. Diamanta recollected the game she would play with little Nadia. She would play a tune, and in response Diamanta would do a small dance that somewhat resembled the tune.

"Are you ready?" Diamanta asked Nadia. She played a few high notes, and Diamanta did a little dance with her feet. Within minutes she had a song going and several people stood around Diamanta and Nadia, throwing coins at their feet. A handsome adolescent boy with dramatic brown eyes appeared. He gasped and said to the man next to him,

"That's the one." The man turned back to the boy.

"The girl who was caught with Gautier?"

"Yes." A woman looked at them.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Don't you know? Yesterday she was doing her act and Judge Thomas Gautier tried to…" he whispered something in the woman's ear which caused a horrified expression to cross her face. Diamanta pretended not to notice and continued dancing.

A trumpet was sounded and several horses passed by, followed by a carriage, which came to a sudden stop near Diamanta and Nadia. The carriage door opened and a foot stepped out of it. To Diamanta's great misfortune, the foot belonged to none other than Judge Thomas Gautier. A stumpy yet well-dressed man came out of the carriage as well. He held a scroll and began to read off of it.

"On behalf of her witchcraft and heathen ways, the gypsy Diamanta is to be sentenced to death." The crowed gasped in horror as two soldiers grabbed the arms of Diamanta and began to haul her to a cage, which was lead by a horse as well.

"What witchcraft has this young gypsy girl committed?" a voice from the crowd asked. Diamanta looked up. It was the young man with fascinating eyes. Judge Thomas Gautier stared at him.

"Do not let her twisted heathen ways fool you, boy," Gautier said dismissively.

"If there is anyone who is a fool here, it's you!" he shouted. Gautier strode up to him until they were almost nose-to-nose.

"Do you _dare_ insult a man of God?"

"A man of God would not even imagine himself with a girl young enough to be his grandchild!" A long silence broke out between them.

"Lock him away!" Gautier declared.

It was then when Diamanta discovered a small pouch of vanishing powder in the deep pocket of her crimson skirt. She waited for the soldiers to approach with the boy as well. Just as she planned, the soldiers opened the door of the cage to shove him in. In one fluid motion, she pulled out the powder and threw a small amount of it to the ground, where it suddenly grew into the same puff of smoke Clopin used in the Feast of Fools. She threw open the cage door, grabbed the boy's arm, and ducked down a dark alleyway.

"After them!" Gautier demanded, but it was too late. The two had already far on their way to the Court of Miracles.


	8. Oliver

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

Chapter #8

They entered a rough-looking bar.

"Is this your Court of Miracles?" he asked in a slightly surprised tone. Diamanta shook her head.

"Watch," she whispered as she strode up to the bartender with a missing eye. He spat and looked at her in the eye.

"What be the meaning of someone like you coming into a place like this?" he growled.

"My brother and I would like to see our darling sister, Ruth," Diamanta replied. Without a single work, the bartender led them to a back room which consisted of a table and a life-sized painting of a drunken sailor. He gave an almost friendly nod and left the two of them alone in the room. Diamanta pushed the painting to the side, which revealed a long stairway. She began to walk downward and beckoned him to follow. He stood completely still and a small bead of sweat dripped down his face.

_He's terrified of the dark_, Diamanta thought, which brought an amused smile to her face. Never had she heard of someone as old as him with such a childish fear. She walked back up the stairs and held out her hand for his to hold. He took her hand and they walked down the stairs together. _His hands are as cold as ice! What must have happened to him as a child to give him such a fright? _Diamanta thought to herself.

"Thank you for standing up against Gautier," she said sweetly, trying to start a conversation.

"Someone had to. I never did like him much, Miss, um, what is your name?" he said. Diamanta admired his voice, how he spoke with a strange sort of rhythm, as if he were reciting poetry.

"Diamanta, and yours?" she asked. Diamanta suddenly realized how warm his hands became after he heard her name.

"Oliver," he said. He waited for Diamanta to say something. After a few awkward seconds of silence, Oliver spoke again. "Are gypsies always discriminated against?" Diamanta was surprised by the question. Since she had not answered so quickly, Oliver obviously thought of it as a sensitive question. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, "I shouldn't have brought it up." Diamanta felt his hand heat up with embarrassment.

"Oh, it's not an emotional question. I just haven't been asked that before." She felt Oliver's hand go back to its normal temperature.

"Well, are you always discriminated against?"

"Do you remember when the gypsy Esmeralda was almost burned because she was a 'witch'?"

"Yes."

"That was nothing more than discrimination. Frollo hated gypsies and he wanted her dead." Oliver gasped softly.

"Rumor has it that he was in love with her."

"He wasn't really in love, Oliver. If he loved her, he wouldn't want her dead." Again a long silence broke out between them. This time Diamanta spoke first. "Be careful, Oliver. I think there may be a small crack in the staircase so try not to trip."

"Oomf!" It was too late. The small slit in the staircase had caused Oliver to fall face-forward. Diamanta made an attempt to jerk him back into a standing position, but only got pulled in with him, their legs entangled with each other's. She felt a scrape on her leg as it grated against the rough stone wall. They fell in a heap at the bottom of the staircase, Diamanta landing on top of Oliver. A torch was lit and she looked up to see Clopin shaking his head and clicking his tongue at them.

"Who's _this_?" he asked in a judgmental voice as he tried to fight away the sly smirk that was beginning to form across his face.

"Shut up," Diamanta said as she pulled herself off him and helped him up. Before she could properly explain what happened, Clopin had already pulled out his hand puppet.

"Ooh, is he her _beau_?" the puppet squeaked with excitement.

"Of course not, puppet!" Clopin exclaimed. "We have never seen him before. He's obviously no more than her boy toy that she's been trying to hide from us." Diamanta put her head in her hands.

"Oliver, meet Clopin, the gypsy king." Oliver looked at her in a way that clearly said _Are you serious? _Diamanta nodded yes. Oliver forced a kind smile and held out his hand for Clopin to shake. Clopin took it and shook it furiously.

"So, how did you two meet?" Clopin asked in the same manner a father would when talking to his daughter's first boyfriend.

"Judge Thomas Gautier tried to arrest her because he claimed she was a witch, and I stood up for her," Oliver began. When he finished his story, Clopin still gave him the same judgmental look.

"I still want to know how I found her lying on top of you." Diamanta gave him a sly smile.

"That's a story we'll take to our grave," she said as she took Clopin's torch and walked down the long hallway, swinging her hips to add an effect to her raunchy explanation. Clopin narrowed his eyes at Oliver.

"You didn't really—" he began.

"Oh, no sir! We've just met," Oliver said nervously. In the blink of an eye Clopin pulled out two torches, only one of them lit. He touched the second torch to the first one's and it burst into orange flames. He handed the second torch to Oliver, who quickly took it. Clopin walked by his side into the Court of Miracles.

Oliver's eyes grew wide. He had expected something much, much smaller. Large wagons where stationed everywhere while hundreds of gypsies bustled around with their everyday lives.

"You live _here_?" Oliver asked. Clopin laughed.

"That was the same thing Diamanta said when she saw the Court of Miracles."

"What took you so long?" Diamanta's voice called from her bright yellow wagon. Clopin strode up to her, Oliver trailing close behind. "Welcome to the Court of Miracles," Diamanta said warmly. Oliver smiled at her. _What a handsome grin_, Diamanta thought. Her thoughts must have clearly shown up on her face, because Clopin gave her a sly smirk. She pretended to ignore him and turned back to Oliver.

"Don't just stand there," she said playfully, "come in." Diamanta reached out a helping hand to pull Oliver into the wagon. Clopin pulled himself into the wagon after him.

"Don't even try to hide, Clopin! Come here!" The three of them poked their heads out of Diamanta's wagon to see Madame Doreen, who appeared to be even wider, searching the wagons for the king of gypsies. Clopin released a loud, fabricated sigh and jumped out of the wagon, exposing himself. Diamanta quietly closed the wagon door.

"What was that about?" Oliver asked.

"Probably nothing. Clopin is always getting into trouble with Madame Doreen."

"What is going to become of us? We can't leave this place, or else we'll be arrested," Oliver said, quickly changing the subject. Diamanta shrugged.

"Things will smooth out. Clopin knows how to protect his people. We're going to be fine."

"But what if things _don't _smooth out? What if something terrible happens?" Oliver said in a worried tone. If Diamanta knew him better, she would have put a reassuring arm around his shoulder. _Oh, why not? _Diamanta thought to herself. _If it wasn't for him I would have been dead. That makes us close enough._ She gave him a kind smile and pulled him into a half-hug.

"Everything will be just fine."

To her great surprise, Oliver reached out with two open arms and caught her in a tight embrace. For a moment she was stiff with shock. After a few seconds, she relaxed herself and tentatively lifted her other arm to pull him closer. She felt his chest moving against hers as he took several deep breaths. She felt their hearts beating in unison, the warmth of his body pressing against hers.

She ventured to bury her nose in his curly hair. He smelled of freshly baked bread and sweet pastries, mixed in with the clean scent of Paris after a long rainfall. _What are you doing?_ a small voice in Diamanta's head screamed. _You don't even know him! _She didn't care. It just felt so right. She pulled away from him slightly to stare into those breathtaking eyes. Oliver slowly leaned toward her and kissed her softly on her lips. She kissed him back, pressing her lips onto his soft, rose petal-like ones.

"So he _is_ her boy toy! I would have never guessed!" a squeaky voice exclaimed from the open wagon door. Oliver and Diamanta whipped their heads around to see Clopin sitting cross-legged at the end of the wagon, his puppet on his right hand.

"See, I _told _you! We were never able to trust that Diamanta!"

"But I would have never believed she would actually do something like this," the puppet continued. Clopin looked up at the two, as if just noticing they were both giving him angry looks.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I interrupt something? My puppet and I were just having a little chat. Continue," Clopin said plainly, as if simply commenting on the weather.

"I should go," Oliver whispered as he left the wagon.

"Your wagon is the blue one next door," Clopin said as he waved goodbye in a mock-dainty fashion. In one fluid motion, Clopin had closed the door and now sat six inches away from Diamanta. "So," he said in a voice that mimicked the majority of the teenage girls he encountered in his life, "how was it? What did it feel like? How did you feel? When're you going to start dating?" Diamanta crossed her arms.

"This is _serious_, Clopin."

"Oh, Dia, you know I'm only joking," Clopin said in his normal voice. "But really, how did you two suddenly get so close?" Diamanta smiled and lay down on the cushioned wagon floor. She closed her eyes and replayed everything back in her head. "That great, eh?" Clopin said with a small smile.

"It was _amazing_, Clopin."

"How amazing?" Clopin said in a curious voice.

"Watching-Esmeralda-spit-in-Frollo's-face amazing." Clopin's eyes grew wide.

"Whoa."

"Yes, _that _amazing."

"No, that's not what I'm whoa-ing about." Even though her eyes were closed, Diamanta gave Clopin a confused expression.

"What are you talking about?"

"I just realized one good reason why I'm single. I talk to teenage girls about their love lives with fascination." Diamanta laughed, but when she opened her eyes, Clopin was not smiling.

"You're not really bothered by that, are you?" Diamanta asked. Clopin shook his head truthfully. "You like Oliver, don't you?" she asked after a few seconds of thinking. Clopin nodded truthfully.

"I'm fine, Dia. I'm just fine." Clopin smiled kindly. For less than a second, Diamanta saw a flicker of something behind that smile. Could it be anger? Frustration? Hatred? _Or perhaps_, Diamanta thought to herself, _jealously_.


	9. Love and Dreams

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

Chapter #9

_Two weeks later_

"Clopin, are you asleep?" a familiar voice whispered from the doorway of his wagon. He opened his tired eyes and lit a candle.

"Dia, what are you doing here so late at night?" he asked once the young girl's face was revealed. Without a word, she sat down and looked into his deep brown eyes. "Dia, what's wrong?" She didn't reply. Clopin's eyes narrowed. "What did Oliver do?" he asked darkly.

"Nothing. Clopin, what happens when you have to decide between two men who you both have feelings for?" Clopin thought for a moment. _I wish Esmeralda were here to straighten this out_, he thought to himself.

"I suppose you have to look deep inside yourself and decide which man you can imagine being in a longer relationship with," Clopin said, unsure if this was the right advice to give to an adolescent girl. She smiled.

"I think I've decided already," Diamanta said. Without any warning, she leaned forward and kissed him passionately.

Clopin woke up in a cold sweat, the dream still echoing in his mind.

_It's only a dream, and nothing more_, he thought to himself. A knock came to the door. _Oh please don't let it be—_

"It's Dia!" the muffled voice came from the other side of the door. Clopin sighed and opened the door. He greeted her with a warm smile.

"Bon jour ma chere fille," he said as he helped her inside the wagon.

"Clopin, I'm not a child anymore. I'm seventeen years old."

"Sixteen," he corrected. "You still have the rest of the day until you grow a year older." Diamanta gave him a little half-smile and began to talk about what she came into his wagon for.

"I hear that Gautier's men are looking for our Court of Miracles. Oliver and I were talking, and it might be best if we were to make this place more secret. What if a soldier finds us? It could be the death of all of us!"

"Dia, calm down. We are well hidden. The very last place one of Gautier's men would look is here. Just trust me and everything will be alright." A loud knock came to the door. Before Clopin could reach the doorknob, it swung open. The bartender that helped keep the Court of Miracles a secret was panting and clutching his chest. Clopin and Diamanta heaved him into the wagon and closed the door behind him securely.

"Fred, what's wrong?" Clopin said in a concerned voice.

"Ran," Fred breathed, "through Paris."

"What? Was someone chasing you?" Diamanta asked. Fred, who eventually caught his breath, turned to Clopin.

"Is the girl allowed in here?" he asked as if she weren't sitting in front of him with a glare across her face. Clopin waved his hand carelessly to show it didn't bother him to have someone else listening to him. Fred continued.

"Gautier's gone _mad_, Clopin! He gave a gypsy a death sentence for simply stealing an apple!"

"_What?_" Clopin exclaimed. "He can't do that!"

"Doesn't anyone understand he's turning into Frollo?" Diamanta said. Fred clearly didn't like the fact that a woman was included in this conversation. He ignored her and went back to Clopin.

"Any gypsy who is seen outside the Court of Miracles will die. You have to warn them." The wagon door opened. Oliver pulled himself into the wagon.

"Knock first, Oliver," Diamanta said gently.

"Silence, woman. I need you outside _now_," Diamanta nodded and climbed out of the wagon. She had grown accustomed to his harsh words and paid them no mind. He beckoned her to come into his wagon with him. She pulled herself into it and immediately shut the door.

"What's wrong?" Diamanta asked. "Why did you pull me out of such an important conversation?" Oliver smiled slyly and unexpectedly wrapped an arm around her waist.

Diamanta was growing tired of all these games he played with her. He would pull her out of something important only to lead her to his wagon and play these stupid games. It was exciting for the first few days, but after a while she had grown sick of it. They barely even spoke to each other. She slowly pulled away from him.

"Why don't we just talk for now?" Diamanta suggested. Oliver looked taken aback.

"What would we talk about? Your life is already fulfilled. You have a place to live, and you have me. What else would you ask for?" Diamanta narrowed her eyes at him.

"Do you honestly think I'm that simple?" Diamanta asked in a cross voice. Unfortunately, Oliver wasn't able to take the hint that she was angry. He smiled and stroked the inside of her thigh.

"Oh, no. You're_ very _complex."

"You're disgusting," Diamanta said harshly. Suddenly the wagon door opened and Clopin came in, his eyes closed.

"I don't want to know what you're doing right now, but I'll give you two a moment to get dressed," he said.

"You can open your eyes, Clopin, we weren't doing anything," Diamanta said with a small smile.

"We _haven't _been doing anything at all as far as I'm concerned," Oliver grumbled. Diamanta stared him directly in the eye.

"If you keep this relationship only physical, we _won't _be doing anything," Diamanta snapped. Clopin stepped out of the wagon, murmuring something about coming in at the wrong time.

"Why can't you just do what your beau tells you to like other women?"

"Because other women are whores! Do you want be to be a whore? You certainly treat me like one!"

"Of course not!"

"Liar!"

"If I wanted you to be like that, I wouldn't love you so damn much!" The whole wagon went silent.

"What did you say?" Diamanta said softly. Oliver took her hands and kissed them.

"I love you."


	10. Mirror, Mirror

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

Chapter #10

"Then he told me he loved me. It was like a fairy tale, Clopin," Diamanta said dreamily. Clopin didn't answer. Diamanta took this as a sign to continue. "All it needed was a majestic white horse to carry us away. Oh, Clopin you should have been there." Clopin still leaned against the wagon wall, his large hat covering the upper half of his face. "Aren't you going to say something? Oliver just admitted he loved me. Isn't that important to you?" A loud snore emitted from below the hat and Clopin fell to his side, revealing the half-empty bottle of whisky in his arms. "You're _sleeping_?" Diamanta exclaimed. Clopin didn't budge. She sighed and took off Clopin's hat. "Well, as long as you're sleeping," she said as she placed it on her own head, "I'll have some of your whisky." She took the bottle from him and took a sip. "I'm going to tell you a secret, Clopin," Diamanta said as she turned him onto his back and rested her chin on his chest. She toyed with his beard for a while and eventually spoke. "I don't know if I love Oliver. He treats me like dirt and expects me to act like his whore. He shuts me up whenever he doesn't feel like talking and he doesn't even call me by my own name. Sometimes I just want to say '_woman _happens to have a name, and it's Diamanta'." She took off his gloves and placed them on her own hands. "It's not like I want him to change or anything. I just want to have a different relationship with him. I want him to hold me while I cry on his shoulder. I want to spill out all my emotions to him, and he'll understand every one of them. I want him to know how I'm feeling by just looking at me." She paused and looked at Clopin. "I want to talk to him while he's sleeping, even if I'm just babbling about my memories. I want to dress up in his clothing and surprise him when he wakes up." She grabbed his mask from the corner of the wagon and put it on her face. "I want the relationship between Oliver and I to be like ours." Diamanta caressed Clopin's sleeping face as her words started to sink in.

It wasn't until she stared into his face when she realized how handsome he was. She placed her chin back onto his chest and stroked his hair through her fingers.

"If only you knew, Clopin," Diamanta said softly. "If you were only a few years younger—"

"What are you doing?" Clopin asked, his eyes wide after just waking up.

"Oh!" Diamanta gasped as she jumped up in surprise.

"Why are you wearing my hat and mask? Where are my gloves?" She blushed as she realized how foolish she must have looked wearing his accessories. He smiled at her appearance. "You don't look half bad as a matter of fact. It's a nice look for you." He revealed the cloth-covered mirror that leaned against the wall beside his liquor collection. She stared into it. It had been nearly two years since she saw her reflection.

Her body had certainly taken its change into womanhood, her long crimson skirt and lavender top only exaggerating her every curve and dip her body had grown to posses. As she pulled off the mask, she realized how much her face had matured. The small bumps on her face had grown scarce, leaving most of it a smooth olive tone. Her eyes, however, changed the most. Back when she was fifteen, her eyes were a caramel hazel color. Now they were so light that they appeared to be yellow. Her waist-length hair, which had not been cut since she last saw her reflection, fell into elegant brown waves.

"Surprised to see an old friend?" Clopin said after noticing Diamanta's expression. He appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"It's yours, Dia." He said smoothly. Diamanta stared at his reflection.

"_What? _It's so beautiful! I can't take this mirror. You don't have to do this, Clopin."

"Think of it as an early birthday present," Clopin said as he squeezed her in his arms.

"You do know Oliver is going to hate you for this," Diamanta said after a moment of thought.

"Why would he do that?" Clopin asked.

"Didn't you hate it when another man would always seem to be better to your girlfriend than you were?" Clopin looked at her reflection in surprise?

"You two are still going together? Even after he treats you like some sort of whore?"

"Where did you get an idea like that?"

"You were giving me a play-by-play description of what happened. You told me he treated you like his whore." Diamanta was surprised he was even paying attention to what she was saying.

"Was that when you were slowly falling asleep?" Diamanta asked with a smile.

"No," Clopin said as he rested his head on her shoulders. "I fell asleep when you said you wanted your relationship with Oliver to be like ours."


	11. Trouble

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

I am also sorry to say that I may not be updating for quite some time due to several towers of homework, but I _will _complete this story.

Chapter #11

Diamanta spun around and buried her face in Clopin's chest in humiliation. He pulled her closer. _How could Clopin be so sneaky as to pretend to be sleeping and listen in on my conversation with…him? _Diamanta blushed an even deeper shade of red once she realized how moronic her thoughts were. _He didn't do anything wrong. I was talking to him after all. I was only talking to him about my feelings. Oliver and I should do that more often. Why can't Oliver be more like Clopin? _Diamanta pulled away from him. _What's wrong with me? Why am I thinking this? _Clopin gave her a concerned look.

"Dia, are you all right?" he asked. She shook her head no.

"I have to go," she murmured as she pulled the hat and gloves off her and handed them to Clopin. She needed to talk to someone about this. She left the wagon and went into her own. To her complete surprise, Oliver stood inside her wagon, drumming his fingers on the small dresser she kept her clothes in.

"Where were you, woman? No, don't even answer that. I already know you were with that strange man with the hat." Diamanta nodded and kissed him on the cheek.

"I can't talk right now." She grabbed a dark blue cloak that lay neatly folded next to the mattress she slept on. He snatched it from her.

"Why are you always with that man? Why is he so special?"

_Because he's not you._

"I've known him for a long time. Him and I are very close friends."

"A little too close if you ask me."

"Well, no one asked you," Diamanta snapped as she took the cloak from him. She put it on before he could take it from her again.

"Where are you going, woman?" Oliver shouted as Diamanta moved toward the door.

"I need to talk to a friend I haven't visited in nearly a year. You remember the gypsy who Frollo lusted after last year, right?" Oliver narrowed his eyes at her.

"I'm coming with you," he said.

"Oliver, the streets are dangerous. Gautier has gone insane. If he sees a gypsy, he won't hesitate to commit murder. If you came with me and got killed, I could never forgive myself," she said as she caressed his face. He pulled away from her.

"I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I let you go out there alone and get killed." Diamanta kissed him.

"If you love me, you need to trust me." With that, she left the Court of Miracles.

The streets of Paris were worse than she imagined. Soldiers patrolled every street corner and no child was to be seen, let alone a single gypsy. Diamanta saw another cloaked figure edge toward her. She broke out in a cold sweat and ducked down a dark alleyway where the figure continued to stalk her. She accidentally bumped into a tall man. She looked up at him and gasped in horror.

"It's been a while since I've seen you, Diamanta," he said coolly.

"You're not going to tell anyone—" she began to say.

"Oh, no. I'm surprised you'd think I would turn my own daughter in."

"Ever since the Feast of Fools I didn't think I could trust you at all, Papa."

"But you escaped him. That's all that matters." Diamanta glared at her father.

"You haven't changed. You're still the same evil man you were when I was a child." Without warning, he slapped her across the face. She tasted blood. He reached under her hood and grabbed her hair, pulling her to his face until she could smell his rancid breath.

"If I hadn't changed, you disgusting child, you would be dead by now." He threw her to the cobblestone ground and looked down the alleyway, possibly to see if anyone was watching. "Oh, and I know about Oliver. I would be careful around him if I were you," he said coolly. Diamanta looked up at him.

"What?"

"Let's just say he's a very jealous character." Before she could say another word her father disappeared into a small store. Diamanta pulled herself up and saw that the figure stood at the end of the alleyway and was beginning to edge toward her. In pure fear, she sprinted to Esmeralda's home. Diamanta banged her fist on the door. Eventually a tall blond man opened the door.

"May I help you?" he asked. Diamanta immediately recognized Phoebus, despite the fact that they had never met.

"My name is Diamanta. Esmeralda and I have been friends for quite some time, and I am just paying her a visit. Is she here?" Phoebus gave her a slightly suspicious look before letting her inside his home.

The place was beautiful. Paintings done by Notre Dame's bell ringer ornamented the walls while luxuriant furniture and rugs adorned the floor. A dark, curvy woman appeared at the kitchen entrance.

"Esmeralda, it's great to see you again," Diamanta said warmly. Esmeralda raised her eyebrows.

"Who am I speaking to?" she asked as she edged closer to the unfamiliar girl. Diamanta pulled the hood of the cloak down to reveal her face. "_Dia?_ I haven't seen you for nearly a year!" Esmeralda caught her in a tight hug. "What brings you here?"

"I need to talk to you," Diamanta said in a serious tone. Esmeralda immediately turned to Phoebus, signaling him to leave the room. They sat down together on a lush loveseat.

"Dia, I heard about what happened with Gautier. I don't think I can help you. That's Clopin's job."

"That's not what I came here for," Diamanta said softly. After a few moments Esmeralda understood and a smile played upon her lips.

"Who is he?" Esmeralda said. Diamanta looked down at the stone floor. Esmeralda's jaw dropped. "Is there more than one?" Diamanta blushed a deep scarlet. "Well, I know how you feel. If you haven't forgotten, both Quasimodo and Phoebus had fallen in love with me only a year ago." Diamanta looked up at her.

"This is different, Esmeralda. One of these men is my beau."

"Oh," Esmeralda said softly.

"When we first met, everything was completely romantic. But now, he treats me like dirt and barely talks to me."

"Well, why don't you give him some space? Phoebus was completely miserable after the first few weeks of our marriage."

"Did he disrespect you and refer to you as 'woman'? Did he pull you out of anything you happen to be doing simply to pleasure himself with you? Did your own father warn you about him?"

"No but…_what?_ I thought your father—"

"I bumped into him on the way here. He told me to stay away from Oliver right after he threw me to the ground," Diamanta explained. Esmeralda gasped.

"Oliver? The baker's son?" Diamanta shrugged her shoulders.

"I suppose."

"Dia, stay away from him. He's a very violent man."

"That's not possible. He told me he loved me," Diamanta said plainly. "But," she continued, "There's someone else. I've been close friends with him. Ever since Oliver and I went with each other, my other friend and I became even closer. Today, while he was sleeping, I was talking to him, more to myself really, about Oliver and I. I said I wished the relationship I have with Oliver would be more like the relationship I have with my friend. The only thing is that while I was talking my friend wasn't really sleeping."

"That's when you came here, right?" Diamanta nodded yes. Esmeralda gave Diamanta a reassuring smile. "I think I may be able to help you decide. You're trying to choose between two men. One is your beau, but he treats you terribly and he has a bad background. However, he claims he is in love with you. The other is a close friend, but he seems to be growing into something closer."

"I think I've already decided. I should break it up with Oliver and go to Clopin." Esmeralda's mouth dropped open.

"_What? _This other man is _Clopin_? Well, that changes _everything_," she said. "Break it off with Oliver, and find someone new. Neither him nor Clopin would be good for you. You need to start out fresh and find someone new," Esmeralda said quickly. Diamanta raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong with Clopin?" Before Esmeralda could say anything, Diamanta told her everything that happened earlier that day in detail.

"Dia, you just said that if only he was younger you would be with him. That's the thing. He's not."

"Age is a number and nothing more," Diamanta said, more to herself than Esmeralda. She took Diamanta's hand in hers.

"Maybe to you age is only a number, but I know a lot of people who would beg to differ. You're almost seventeen and he's twenty-five. You need to let it go," Esmeralda said gently.

"He's only eight years older than me. Do you know how short eight years is?" Diamanta said defiantly as she pulled away from her friend.

"It's not going to work, Dia," Esmeralda said.

"I could at least try."

"There's no point in trying," Esmeralda said in a slightly louder tone.

"You don't understand!"

"At least I understand that pretending someone is your age when they are far from it is idiotic!"

"Then explain to me why I even bother to talk to you like you're my age!" Diamanta screamed. They both stood in silence until Esmeralda finally spoke.

"Dia, I know you may be falling for him, but think of what others will say."

"Oh, so is it all just based on how you would look to the public eye? Esmeralda you must have forgotten where you came from, because before Sun God here swept you off your feet, you _were _the scum of the earth!"

"_Shut up!_" Esmeralda bellowed. Phoebus poked his head into the room.

"Is there a problem here?" he asked.

"_No!_" Diamanta and Esmeralda shouted at the same time. Phoebus quickly backed away as to not suffer a woman's wrath.

"Dia, you are acting like a fool! Do you have any idea what people will think if they saw you together with Clopin?" Esmeralda said bitterly.

"So love is completely based on what others would think?"

"Dia, you're making a big mistake!"

"Answer me!"

"Dia, if you knew anything about love, you would know that some part of it has to do with what others think of you!"

"I bet Phoebus doesn't know that!" Diamanta paused for a moment, and suddenly her face twisted into an expression of bitterness. "Perhaps," she hissed, "that is the reason you chose the attractive man over the kind one. Simply because you were too cowardly to be seen with Quasimodo and marrying the Phoebus would give you this." Diamanta gestured to the beautiful home. "Oh, I see it now," she continued. "It was all about what they had to offer. The bell ringer would give you his love and passion, while the soldier would give you riches. Smart choice."

Diamanta felt the slightest bit of regret after seeing Esmeralda's hurt face.

"Get out of my house," Esmeralda whispered. Diamanta sighed.

"Esmeralda, I didn't mean to—"

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Without a word Diamanta slipped on the cloak and left. To her great surprise, as soon as she closed the door behind her, she stood face-to-face with Judge Thomas Gautier.


	12. Jailhouse Blues

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

I am also sorry to say that I may not be updating for quite some time due to several towers of homework, but I _will _complete this story.

Chapter #12

"Well, well, well. We meet again, gypsy," Gautier hissed. Before she could say anything, she was surrounded by soldiers. Diamanta saw Gautier look past her with a surprised expression. "Captain Phoebus, I am terribly disappointed in you. Harboring gypsies in your very own home. I thought I could trust you. Well, never mind that." He turned to his soldiers. "Capture him and anyone found in his home."

Diamanta reached into the deep pocket of her skirt to grab some sort of vanishing powder. Unexpectedly, something heavy struck the back of her head. That was when everything went black.

Diamanta awoke in a dimly lit jail cell with three others. She recognized them at once: Esmeralda, Phoebus, and Oliver. All four of them were chained to the stone walls, all wearing plain white outfits belted by rope.

"Where am I?" Diamanta questioned.

"In jail, about to get the death penalty along with the rest of us," Phoebus said quietly.

"It's all your fault!" Esmeralda screamed suddenly at Diamanta. "If you hadn't left, Oliver wouldn't have followed you—"

"You _followed _me?" Diamanta said, now looking at Oliver.

"I had to. Someone needed to go with you."

"Why can't you trust me for once?" Diamanta said.

"Why can't you appreciate me for once? I risked my life going out there for you. I was caught and tortured for you! Now I'm going to die! All for you!" Oliver shouted.

Diamanta suddenly recognized what he was doing. She was surprised it didn't hit her sooner. Every time Oliver was in a tight situation, he would try to appear as someone noble, which made her out to be a selfish brat. Another thought came to her. _He doesn't really love me._

Usually when she was angry with Oliver, she would bottle up all her emotions and pretend nothing happened. Suddenly, the word spilled out of her.

"Liar," Diamanta heard herself say. Oliver raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Oliver. You lied to me."

"Don't talk to me like that, woman. After all I've done for you—"

"You haven't done _anything _for me. The only reason you did all that was because you didn't trust me. You risked your life because you didn't trust me, and you thought I was cheating on you."

"I was worried about you," Oliver said. "I was worried that you might get hurt."

"If you were so worried, then why didn't you do anything when my father hit me?"

"I didn't see you get hit. By that time I was captured."

"Yes you did!" Diamanta exclaimed. "You were the one wearing the cloak. When Papa looked down the alleyway, he was looking at _you_."

"I don't have to explain myself to you," Oliver said in a snide tone. Diamanta ignored him and continued.

"If you trusted…no…_loved _me, we wouldn't be here."

"Or," Esmeralda said bitterly, "would we have not been here if _you _loved Oliver?"

"_What?_" Oliver gasped.

"Esmeralda, no…" Diamanta said in an almost pleading voice.

"She went through the soldiers into danger simply to ask me if she should discontinue seeing you, Oliver," Esmeralda said, despite Diamanta's plea. "You see, your loving Dia had eyes for another supposedly handsome man." Diamanta lunged toward Esmeralda, only to remember she was in chains and she wasn't able to move her arms any more than a few feet.

"At least I love others for their personality, not their living status," Diamanta rasped, "or their physical appearance." Phoebus' jaw dropped open, for what Diamanta said suddenly made sense. Before he could say anything Oliver began to speak.

"Don't change the subject, woman. Who?" Diamanta gave Oliver a confused expression.

"What do you mean by 'who'?"

"Don't play games with me. Who is this other man you've been secretly seeing?"

"I haven't been seeing anyone!" Diamanta exclaimed.

"Woman, you must have forgotten your place," Oliver said dangerously. "Do not _ever _lie to me. If it wasn't for me, you would have been _dead_ by now!"

"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be on death row now!" Diamanta screamed. A long silence broke out between everyone in the cell.

"Who is he?" Oliver said in a voice like poison. There was no need to answer, for seconds later the four of them heard the sound of jingling keys and someone whistling a joyful tune. Soon Clopin appeared in the stone hallway swinging a ring of keys around his index finger. Oliver's eyes grew wide as he realized the man who Diamanta was in love with was Clopin. "_You_," Oliver said darkly.

"_Me_," Clopin said in a voice to match Oliver's. In an instant, Clopin's puppet appeared.

"Or," it said in a high but dark voice, "_me_."

"How did you get in here?" Esmeralda asked. Clopin put a gloved finger to his lips as he unlocked the cell door.

"There are ways which a gypsy can slip through walls unnoticed." He unlocked Esmeralda's chains as well as Diamanta's. He greeted the two with tight hugs, causing Oliver's face to turn a dark shade of purple. Clopin unchained Phoebus. "Yet again we meet with you in mortal peril," Clopin said with a laugh as he pulled him up. He turned to Oliver, who gave him the cruelest look he could muster. Clopin ignored this and unchained him. Without warning, Oliver lunged at Clopin's throat.

"_You stole her!_" Oliver bellowed. Phoebus made an attempt to pull him back, but he elbowed him in the face. Esmeralda took Phoebus' bleeding jaw in her hands.

"Stop!" Diamanta shouted. Clopin's hand moved toward his knife, but Oliver was quicker. He took Clopin's dagger out of the sheath and edged toward him, a crazed look in his eye.

"I stood up for Diamanta when no one else would. She was all that I had, and you take her from me!" For the first time in her life, Diamanta noticed a flicker of completely untamed fear in Clopin's eyes. A tear rolled out of Diamanta's eye.

"Don't kill him," she pleaded. Clopin was now backed into a corner.

"He took you from me," Oliver rasped, "now I take him from you." With a sickening sound, Oliver stabbed him in the chest.


	13. The Hole in the Wall

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

WHOHOO! Finished this chapter in not three, not two, but ONE day! (that must be why it's so crappy and short. Oh well I hope you like it anyway) :)

I am also sorry to say that I may not be updating for quite some time due to several towers of homework, but I _will _complete this story.

Chapter #13

"_No_!" Diamanta screamed as she kneeled to Clopin's side, cradling his head in her arms. She looked up at Oliver's hateful face.

"It had to be done," he said coldly. "He took you from me, and now I'm taking you back."

"I'm not you damn trophy!" Diamanta hissed.

"But you _are _my woman," he said plainly, as if stating something obvious.

"You don't own me. I don't even know why I let you believe that," Diamanta said as tears rolled down her face. To her surprise, Esmeralda knelt down beside her and put an arm around her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Esmeralda whispered. "If I hadn't told him—"

"Was it you who murdered him? You have no reason to apologize," Diamanta said softly as she stroked Clopin's calm face.

"You loved him, didn't you?" Esmeralda said in a voice so soft that only Diamanta could hear. Several more tears streamed down her face.

"I think I might have," Diamanta sobbed.

"Now that you've finished your mourning," Oliver said in a boorish tone, "can we leave?" This time it was Esmeralda who responded.

"Go to hell."

"Before I go there, I'd like to leave this prison," Oliver said.

"And leave me for dead?" a weak voice said with a cough. Diamanta gasped.

"He's alive?" Oliver said in disbelief. Before he could grab the dagger, Phoebus pulled the dagger from his reach.

"This is for the jaw," Phoebus snarled as he knocked Oliver unconscious. Esmeralda took the thick pink ribbon from her hair and wrapped it around Clopin's bleeding wound. The two women hoisted him to his feet.

"Can you walk?" Diamanta asked, still holding on to him in case he needed something to lean on. Clopin nodded and she slowly let go of him.

"Don't leave him here," Clopin said once he noticed no one was tending to Oliver. "I want to deal with him myself when we get back to the Court of Miracles." Phoebus shrugged and flung Oliver over his shoulder, being careful to "accidentally" hit Oliver against the stone wall as they left the jail cell. Clopin crept down the dark hallway, the others following. They came to a door at the end of the hallway. To everyone's surprise, Clopin began to climb up the stone wall. He positioned himself in a way where he could pull his hands from the stone without falling. With both hands he pulled at a single stone. It easily slid out, revealing a small hallway where one could crawl through on their hands and knees. He jumped down and placed the stone on the ground.

Esmeralda was the first one to be hoisted into the dark hallway. Phoebus was second, dragging Oliver along the rough stone. Clopin and Diamanta stood alone in the hallway when the door flew open. Clopin cupped his hand over Diamanta's mouth before she could release a loud gasp and pulled her behind the open door. He held her tightly, fearing they might be caught. For a moment they stood in shock.

"Take to the gypsy Diamanta's cell. I would like to…_speak_ with her for a moment in private," Gautier's voice said. Diamanta cringed at the thought of what he would be doing to her if Clopin came to her only a few moments later.

"Wait for them to leave," Clopin said softly.

"WHERE IN THE NAME OF MARIA HAS SHE GONE?" Gautier shouted. Diamanta found herself pulling herself closer to Clopin. She felt his warm body and their hearts beating in unison. She breathed deeply. He smelled of whisky and eucalyptus, a strange but stunning combination. She found herself realizing that this was the same incident she had with Oliver. _Only we sort of fell into a kiss. Everything was based on simple urges that felt "right"_, Diamanta thought to herself. _This is more than a feeling, this is…love. _Gautier and his guard left the room.

"Kiss me," Diamanta thought aloud. She cupped her hand over her mouth. _What the hell am I doing? _

"What?" Clopin said in astonishment. Diamanta didn't know what to say. Never in her life did her face turn such a shade of scarlet. Clopin shook his head as if trying to shake the words out of his head. "We'll talk about this in my wagon. We haven't any time." He hoisted her up into the hole in the wall, and she pulled herself in. For the first time since she was ten years old, she was terrified of facing Clopin.


	14. Back to the Court of Miracles

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

Sorry people, but for now I'm taking a break from this story to write a Harry Potter fanfiction. Don't worry, when I do get back to this story, I'll tell all of you when I've updated.

Chapter #14

Oliver opened his eyes. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was realizing that the wretched man who stole his beloved Diamanta from him was alive. _I will kill him someday. Then Diamanta will be mine forever. _Now he sat in a rather colorful place. _One of the gypsys' wagons_, he observed. Suddenly a pitcher of ice-cold water was thrown in his face. He shook the water away and whipped his head in the direction of where it came from. To his absolute surprise, Clopin stood only inches from him with a wide smile spread across his face.

"Morning, Sunshine!" he said in a mock-sweet voice. Oliver immediately threw his body toward Clopin, but the ropes that bonded him to the wagon were too strong. Clopin shook a finger at him and clicked his tongue. "Temper, temper. Is that the way to treat the man who decided to not let you rot in prison?"

"I would rather let Gautier kill me than see you alive," Oliver hissed, his brown eyes burning with rage. Clopin ignored him.

"When we began to leave the jail cell, everyone started to leave you behind. But no, I saw you and a quick flash of pity came upon me." Clopin noticed Oliver eyeing his dagger. He took it off his body and threw it across the wagon. "So I decided to let you live. That is, unless you give me a reason to not do so." Oliver sneered at him.

"It really was a stupid choice for you to do that. You do know that if I live, you die, correct?" Clopin raised an eyebrow at him. "You are a fool, Clopin," Oliver said, "to think we would both live when there is a prize to claim."

"Prize?"

"_Diamanta_, you idiot!" In a second, Clopin pulled out his puppet.

"See, _see_?" it shrieked. "_This_ is why Dia hates him!"

"Hush, you silly boy!" Clopin exclaimed to his puppet. "He gives us no reason to act violently towards him."

"_He tried to kill you and says he'll do it again!_" Clopin stroked his beard.

"I suppose you are correct, Puppet." He turned to Oliver, who gave him the same expression one would give a shifty looking man talking to himself. "Do you think I should kill you?" he asked in a voice like a child asking for candy.

"If you live to do so," Oliver spat.

"Then it's final!" Clopin said, and left the wagon.

"You told him to _kiss _you?" Esmeralda gasped. The two women sat in Diamanta's wagon talking about her event with Clopin. Diamanta sat hugging her legs to her body, her face a deep crimson.

"It just slipped out of me," she explained.

"How could 'kiss me' slip out?"

"I…I don't know. Now he wants to talk to me about it!"

"Well, of course he does! What are you going to say?" Esmeralda asked. Diamanta shrugged and looked at herself in the mirror Clopin gave her, only to realize that more than herself and Esmeralda were in the wagon. A dumpy looking man with a rather large stomach stood at the wagon entrance. Diamanta spun around.

"Hello, Fred," she said calmly, as if nothing happened earlier that day.

"Come outside," he noticed Esmeralda sitting on the floor, "both of you." The three of them stepped out of the wagon.

"What is this about?" Esmeralda asked. Fred pointed to an area near the Court of Miracle's entrance, where several gypsies created a gallows for enemies to be hanged. To the two women's surprise, Oliver was shoved onto the platform by Clopin, who placed a noose around Oliver's neck.

"No," Diamanta whispered to herself.

"Gather 'round, everybody! There's good 'noose' tonight!" Clopin shouted. He introduced Oliver. "It's our newest gypsy! Oliver, who stole and treaded upon the heart of one of our most lovely gypsies!" The large crowd that formed around the gallows booed. "Oh, but that's not all! He made an attempt to murder your very own king!" He pointed to himself.

"This can't be happening," Diamanta said softly. She watched Clopin walk along the stage singing one of his more popular songs among the gypsies.

"Justice is swift in the Court of Miracles. I am the lawyers," he began, and in an instant his outfit changed to that of a lawyer. Another second passed and he wore a judge's uniform. Diamanta shook her head. _How could Clopin do this?_ "And judge all in one!" He lifted up the robes to his knees and pranced across the platform in a childish manner. _I may have decided to break things off with Oliver, but I never wanted him dead! _"We like to get the trial over with quickly because it's the sentence that's really the fun!" Again Clopin changed into an executioner's outfit. "Any last words?" Clopin put a hand to his ear. Oliver shouted something through his gag. "That's what they all say," Clopin said. He switched back to the judge's outfit. "Now that we've seen all the evidence—"

"Wait, I object!" Diamanta whirled her head around to see who said that. Possibly, someone had mercy on Oliver. Then she realized this was Clopin's puppet, a simple part of the act.

"Overruled!"

"I object!"

"_Quiet!_" Clopin threw the hat onto his puppet's head.

"Dang!" came the muffled cry from under the hat. The king of gypsies rushed to Oliver's side.

"We find you totally innocent." _Maybe, in some way, Oliver was meant to die_, Diamanta thought to herself. "Which is the worst crime of all." _He did try to kill Clopin. Maybe this was meant to be. _"So you're going to hang!" Something inside Diamanta disagreed with her thoughts, and screamed out a single word."

"_Stop!_" Clopin turned his head to the sound of the voice. Diamanta ran up onto the platform. "You can't do this," she said to Clopin. His mouth dropped open.

"_What?_ Dia, do you know what he did to me? Do you know what he did to _you_? How can you show mercy on such a horrible character? Dia, I gave him a chance to _live_ and he simply threatened my life." Diamanta took a deep sigh. Something told her she was making a big mistake.

"Don't kill him. Somehow, God's willing, things will work out. You have to trust me, Clopin." Reluctantly, he took off the gag in Oliver's mouth. Oliver smirked.

"Now get me out of this noose so I can claim her. She's mine, Clopin, and—"

"Hang him," Diamanta said. Clopin's eyes lit up.

"_What?_" Oliver exclaimed.

"Even at the brink of death, you don't even show the slightest trace of humbleness. You haven't changed, Oliver. You're still the cold-hearted snake who took advantage of me and tried to murder someone so close to me." Oliver spat at her feet.

"Pathetic woman," he hissed. Diamanta turned around and walked off the platform, not even bothering to see the man who was once her beau die.


	15. The Mind's War

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

Just…great… all the submissions for Christmas-themed harry potter fanfics are now closed…and I've barely gotten to the middle of mine. Dandy. Just fucking dandy.

So…yup, back to the good ol' Clopin story. Don't think I forgot about y'all! Yeah, so here goes another chapter. Very crappy, but I'm damned proud of it! Here we learn a WHOLE LOT about Diamanta that you would have never thought could really happen. But remember, this is MY story, therefore I could make anything happen. So stay tuned, 'cause a whole lot of crazy stuff is yet to happen.

btw, I didn't mean for the ending of the chapter to be so stupid…I tried to make it a cliffhanger…but it ended up kinda screwed up.

Chapter # 15

Diamanta stared into her own reflection.

"What an eventful day!" she said to herself. "I go to Esmeralda for help, wake up in a jail cell, watch Clopin get stabbed, and accidentally ask him to…" her voice trailed off as her face reddened. Even in the privacy of her own wagon, she still blushed at the thought of it. She rested her head against the mirror in humiliation. "And I still have to confront him." She lifted her head so she now stared directly at her reflection. "You always have to fuck everything up, don't you?" she hissed at it. "You miserable, miserable yellow-eyed freak! You always have to ruin everything!" She banged her head against the mirror. Several tears ran down her face. _I'm losing my mind_, she thought to herself. Suddenly a different thought came into her mind.

_Maybe you're not losing your mind. Maybe you're just…in love. _The war inside her mind began.

_Would someone in love hate herself?_

_Would you hate yourself if Clopin told you he loved you?_

_What the hell is that supposed to mean?_

_You only hate yourself because of your insecurities with Clopin. _

_It's not just that, it's—_

_It's what? Esmeralda, who helped you out? Phoebus, who does nothing but watch? Or perhaps, Oliver? The man who loved you? The man you let die?_

_Fine, it is about Clopin._

_You didn't even watch him die._

_This has nothing to do with Oliver. _

_You could have let him live, Diamanta. Things could have worked out._

_I could never forgive him. He could have murdered Clopin._

_But he didn't._

_He could have._

_But he didn't. _

_He needed to die. The fact still remains the same that he wanted to kill Clopin. What if I let him live? I would wake up the next morning with Clopin's head in my wagon! I could never risk that. _

_Stop lying to yourself, Diamanta._

_What?_

_The only reason you wanted Oliver dead is that he stood in the way of you and Clopin. _Diamanta was horrified that she could even think such a thing.

_That…that's not true._

_Oh, isn't it? Oliver was your beau. You loved Clopin, and Oliver didn't like that._

_NO!_

_So you let him die. _

_No…no…_

_Murderer. _

_Please…just stop…_

_You wanted him to die, you sick, selfish bitch._

"SHUT UP!" Diamanta fell to her knees, sobbing into her hands. "I'm _not _a murderer…he needed to die…I…I…" Her face and shirt were now drenched in tears. A knock came to the door. Diamanta recognized the soft sound of Esmeralda's knuckles against the wood. "Come in," Diamanta called. The door opened, but she didn't bother to look. She already knew who it was. "You know Esmeralda," she said, her back still to the door, "I think I realized something. I am madly in love with Clopin. I didn't even watch Oliver die, simply because of what he did to Clopin." She paused for a moment. "And I'm sorry," she said quietly, "for saying what I did. Phoebus is a wonderful man. He may have money, but I'm sure that's not the only reason you married him." She felt a hand on her shoulder. However, this was not Esmeralda's hand. She turned her head around, and to her absolute surprise — and horror, the hand belonged to Phoebus.


	16. The Confrontation

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

I'm sorry, but I'll try to make another chapter before 2006 (even though it's highly doubtful). I hope you like this chapter! It took me a while to make, but hopefully you'll enjoy it! (please read and review!)

Chapter # 16

Diamanta lazily brushed away her tears and gave him a small half smile.

"Don't judge me on this," she said quietly. "I really am fine." He lifted his hand from her shoulder and suddenly gave her an expression as cold as ice.

"What _exactly _did you say to her?" he hissed.

"Excuse me?" she said, completely taken by surprise. Why was he acting like this? Diamanta had never seen him so livid.

"What did you say to Esmeralda? What did you tell her that's making her avoid me?" It took a moment for Diamanta to realize that he was talking about the incident at his home. She didn't blame him for wanting to know what they were saying, but she couldn't tell him. She couldn't worsen her relationship with her best friend's family. She smiled and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Oh, I thought she would have gotten over it by now. It was nothing but a little quarrel. But don't fret. Just give her a little space and in time, she'll come around," Diamanta said coolly. "She's always been like that. She won't hold a grudge for long." Phoebus edged closer to her in an almost threatening manner. She backed up slowly, pulling herself up against the mirror with her hands.

"What did you say to my wife?" he said in a dangerous tone. Something inside Diamanta told her not to fear Phoebus in the least, even though she was nearly trembling and backed up into the corner of her own wagon. She stood up, only meeting his shoulder level. She looked up at him through her long eyelashes. Though she held an innocent pose, her tone was just as icy as his.

"Why don't you ask her yourself, _sir_?" She succeeded in making such a respectful term sound crude and insulting.

"I would if she would speak to me." Phoebus' voice revealed just a hint of sorrow. He looked away, turning his head so she couldn't see his face. "She hates me," he whispered in a choked voice. "She told me so. She doesn't want to see me again." It took a moment for Diamanta to realize what was happening.

"Phoebus," she said quietly, "are you _crying_?" He didn't answer and remained with his head turned.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice cracking from tears, "for putting you in this situation. You've never been hurt so badly, and I don't want to force you into the adult world of pain." Before she could stop herself, the words came flowing out of her.

"I've been in the adult world of pain since I was a child." Phoebus turned his head slightly, surprised at her words. "My mother was a traitor to all gypsies and I watched her die at my father's hand." She heard him gasp softly. "When my father tried to do the same to me, I was forced to run away from the only home I had. I found refuge at the Court of Miracles where it took nearly a month for everyone to warm up to me simply because of my mother's faults. And so many years later, my father caused the incident with Gautier, simply because of his own greed for money. My father was the reason I came upon Oliver. And today I met my father again, only to realize he was the same cruel man. Now, I find myself in love with a man I know I can't have." She gasped in surprise at her own words.

"You've been through more than I thought was possible," Phoebus said, and without another word, he left her wagon. She sat down and leaned her head against the mirror Clopin had given her, and within seconds she had fallen asleep.

Clopin lay on his back in a field of flowers, staring up at the clouds which formed into several shapes that he portrayed as animals and people. Suddenly someone pulled off his hat. He sat upright and whirled his head around to see who the culprit was. Sure enough, Diamanta sat by his side wearing his hat, laughing.

"How do I look?" she asked, striking a model-like pose. Her long chestnut hair glowed radiantly in the sun and her yellow eyes appeared even more mysterious under the floppy hat.

_Beautiful._

"It needs something," Clopin said with a wide smile. He took off his gloves and put them on her delicate hands. She laughed her usual airy, carefree laugh. "Lovely," he said with a smile. And he meant it.

"It looks as if it's about to rain," Diamanta said suddenly. Clopin looked up to see how dark the clouds had grown. Not much later, rain beat down on their heads. Diamanta pulled off the hat and held it over them as a sort of umbrella as Clopin edged closer to her. Now they were an inch's length apart. "Kiss me," Diamanta whispered. Clopin stared at her in disbelief. "You know you want to," she said in a seductive tone. Without hesitation, Clopin leaned forward and obeyed her.

Clopin woke up with a loud gasp. It was mid morning, but he was just awakening. He wiped his eyes and quickly dressed himself in his normal attire.

"What is wrong with me?" he said to himself. He pulled out his puppet, which he usually spoke to when in a tight situation instead of having a conversation inside his head.

"You're in love," the puppet squeaked.

"That's impossible. She's nine years younger than me."

"Eight," the puppet corrected. "She's seventeen now, remember?"

"But even so…"

"You love her."

"What makes you think that?" Clopin asked, his tone cross.

"Ever since she and Oliver have been together, you couldn't stop dreaming about her."

"But she could never want me."

"For Maria's sake, she asked you to _kiss her_!"

"Mind your tongue!" Clopin said as he hit the puppet on the head.

"She wanted you to kiss her. Now do what you did in your dream and obey her. You're going to have to confront her somehow." Clopin sighed.

"You're right. I have to talk to her one way or another. And I'm going to do it today."

Diamanta was brushing her hair when a knock came to her door.

"Come in," she called. She froze when the familiar scent of whisky and eucalyptus filled the wagon.

"'Morning, Dia," Clopin said in a voice as nervous as Diamanta felt. She spun around and faced Clopin.

"We need to talk," she said before Clopin could speak.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Clopin said with a small smile. She forced a smile back at him.

"Clopin, I need you know that what I said yesterday before we broke out of jail was—"

"A mistake," Clopin finished. Diamanta shook her head no.

"No, it wasn't a mistake in the least." She looked down, unable to look into his face. "It was what came into my mind that day. I needed a way to tell you that I…had strong feelings for you. I know you may not feel the same about me, but…" her voice trailed off.

"I have feelings for you as well, Diamanta." She was taken aback that he used her full name. Even though it was supposed to be a kind statement, the words fell upon her like ice. "Ever since you've been with Oliver…I've just felt…jealous. Then I started having the dreams."

"You've dreamt about me?"

"Many times," Clopin confessed. "But there's more I need to say," he said quietly. "Please don't hate me for this, but I think I may have killed Oliver for more than just the obvious reason."

"He stood in the way between us. Yes, I've been thinking that too." Silence fell between them. "There's too much going on for us to be together, Clopin," Diamanta said after a while. Clopin didn't speak, so she continued. "We're already wanted in most of Paris. I can't do this." She looked away. "I think we should just remain as friends."

"No," Clopin said suddenly.

"What?" Diamanta said, an expression of confusion spread across her face.

"No, I can't just be your friend."

"But…but why?" Again, there was a long silence. Clopin eventually spoke.

"Because," he said quietly, "I think I may be insanely and uncontrollably in love with you."


	17. Confessions

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

Yep…this is my pathetic attempt at an outrageously dramatic chapter…no wonder it's so embarrassingly short. Oh well. I hope ya like! Plz review!

Chapter 17

"Was it something I did?" Phoebus asked his wife in a caring voice. She sat on the small mattress that they shared, a glare across her face.

"Don't…talk….to…me," she hissed through clenched teeth.

"Was it what Diamanta said to you the other day?"

"Don't bring her into this, Phoebus. Don't try to blame a child," Esmeralda said in the same heartless voice she used with her husband. He paced the wagon.

"She didn't tell me what she said. Esme, what did she say?"

"_Don't call me that!_" Esmeralda screeched. For the first time in his life, Phoebus feared those green, threatening eyes

"Esmeralda, _please_. For once, can't you cooperate?" At this point Phoebus knew that what he said was a horrible mistake. Esmeralda burst into tears before a goblet came hurling toward him, narrowly missing his face.

"_Cooperate? _How can I cooperate when I have an unloving twit for a husband!" Her face disappeared into her hands, which was now dripping with tears. "I told you I didn't want to ever see your face again."

"And go where?"

"Not here!"

"I am your husband!" She had no comment, but wailing an octave higher had the same effect. Phoebus sighed and sat next to her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Liar," she hissed. "You're nothing but a liar."

"I may be a liar," he said, "but I am a liar who is in love with you, and will never stop being in love with you." Despite her kicking and screaming, he wrapped his arms around her and caught her in an embrace so tight that she couldn't break free.

"I hate you!" she screamed through her hands. "I hate you for doing this to me! I'm not ready!" Phoebus stroked her hair.

"Whatever I did, I promise I'll take it back."

"It can't be undone."

"I'm sorry, Esmeralda," he said as he continued to run his fingers through her long thick hair.

"I wanted to do things in my life! I wanted to travel the _world_! Now we can't!"

"Darling, if you could only explain to me…"

"This is all your fault!" she screamed beating her hands against his chest trying to break free. He loosened his grip and she pulled herself away, her face and his shirt drenched with tears. "How could you do this to me?"

"What did I do?" he shouted. She made several attempts to say something, but the words seemed to be stuck in her throat. He spoke in a soft, loving voice. "Please…let me know what I did." She took a deep breath and said in a voice that was barely a whisper,

"I'm pregnant."

"_What?_"

"I'm in love with you." Diamanta stared at Clopin in disbelief. She expected to feel as if an angel from heaven came down and kissed her face, but for some reason she felt numb.

"I…I…"

She didn't even remember running out of her own wagon and into the bar the Court of Miracles was hidden under.

"Three shots of cognac," she said to the bartender, who raised an eyebrow at her.

"I believe that is far too much for someone like you. How old are you?"

"Three shots of cognac," she repeated in a harsh tone. He silently obeyed her.

"That'll be—"

"I'm not paying…that is unless you would want everyone to know who your true identity is," she said coldly to him. Diamanta knew that this bartender was sensitive to how he used to live. Just as she imagined, he reddened and cleaned the shot of cognac she had just downed. By her second shot, she could just barely master walking.

Completely drunk, she stumbled down the stairs to the Court of Miracles where Clopin sat waiting for her in her wagon.

"Clopin," she said, her breath reeking of liquor. "Why you here?"

"Dia…are you drunk?" She giggled.

"I swear on drunk's name I'm not Maria." She tripped over her own feet as she neared him. She began to crawl on her hands and knees.

"Dia, what are you doing? Is…is this because of _me_?"

"I love you!" she said in a cheery voice.

"And you need to be drunk to say that?" Clopin said under his breath in a hurt voice.

"I heard that!" she said with another giggle. "And I _do _love you!"

"Dia, you're drunk," Clopin said flatly.

"And love you!"

"Dia, you're drunk," Clopin said flatly.

"And _you're _cute," she said as she played with his goatee.

"Go to sleep. We'll talk in the morning."

"I may be drunk, Clopy," Diamanta said, using the same name others called him when he was younger, "but I'm going to do something I've always wanted to do…even when I wasn't drunk." With two fingers she led his face to hers. Clopin wanted to pull away, but there was something just so inviting in her golden eyes. For a moment they stared into each others eyes.

And without warning, she pulled him closer and pressed her lips against his.


	18. Hangovers and Heartaches

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

Yep…this is my pathetic attempt at an outrageously dramatic chapter…no wonder it's so embarrassingly short. Oh well. I hope ya like! Plz review!

Chapter #18

Diamanta awoke the next morning in such pain that she nearly cried out in agony. She tried to remember what happened the night before, but her head felt as if it had been severely beaten with a heavy metal object. "First, Clopin told me that he loved me," Diamanta said to herself. "And I just couldn't take it…I just don't want to get to close to anyone…I can't be close to anyone…I'm afraid to," she said slowly. She thought of what happened next. "Then I had to get away, and I drank." Everything that proceeded was just a blur of memories.

She leaned back onto the mattress and closed her eyes. Something cool fell across her forehead. She smiled with the pleasure of not being in pain to such a horrid degree and touched her face. To her surprise, what she touched was not her skin, but a cloth dipped in water. She turned to the side to see Clopin greeting her with a warm smile. Diamanta reddened.

"I didn't know I wasn't—"

"Alone?" Clopin finished. "No, I stayed with you through the whole night." Diamanta was surprised.

"You didn't watch me sleep, did you?" was the first thing that spilled out of her mouth.

_Yes. Though I didn't think it was possible, but you're even more beautiful asleep._

"No, I rested for a while," Clopin lied. In fact, he stayed up watching her, studying her, nearly gawking at the beauty that in fact was not skin deep; a beauty Oliver never bothered to notice.

"Clopin," Diamanta began, "what happened last night?" Clopin took the cloth off her head and dipped it in the water-filled bowl that lay at her side. He wringed it out before placing it back on her head.

"I said something personal to you, you ran away, got drunk, came back, and kissed me," he said in a bitter voice, despite the kind act he was doing. Diamanta's eyes widened.

"I _what_?"

"You said you loved me and then kissed me," Clopin said, his voice still not changed. "Something you could only bring yourself to do in the midst of you drunkenness." Clopin ignored the hurt on Diamanta's face and tended to her head. "But somehow…I still love you," he said in a quieter tone, more to himself than to her.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I was just so scared…"

"Yes, I know. You didn't want to get close to anyone. Even so, you didn't realize that you weren't the only one with emotions," he hissed. Diamanta was taken aback by his cruel tone.

"Well, Clopin, here's an emotion for you," she sneered. "I love you. I always have and I always will." Clopin paused.

"Then why didn't you tell me?" he asked, his voice growing slightly louder.

"Weren't you listening? Because I was scared!"

"What is there to be scared about?"

"How about competition?" Clopin raised an eyebrow.

"What competition? I haven't been with anyone in years!"

"That's because you could never open your eyes! Look around you! Can't you see how many women are desperately trying to get at you? Look at Esmeralda!" Her voice neared a screech.

"Esmeralda is like a sister to me," Clopin said. "Besides, she's married!"

"What about the other gypsy women? Ever noticed how no matter what you do, they have never been angry with you? You are their _king_ and you let Frollo attack our people, and you haven't been stoned like any of our past kings would have! It's the women here who kept you _alive_. They do this purely because they want you! But you don't even see any of that!"

"Then what is there to be afraid of?"

"You opening your eyes and seeing how many women would kill to be with you! I didn't want you to see that there was no chance of you being with the scrawny yellow-eyed girl I was! That's what I didn't want you to see! The only thing I wanted you _to _see was…" her voice trailed off. Silence fell between them before she finished her sentence. "Me."

"Then why did you go with Oliver?" Clopin shouted. "Why did you torture me with this man who 'loved you'?"

"I needed a distraction," Diamanta explained. "I knew I couldn't have you, so I tried being with someone else." She stroked his face. "But I couldn't. Every time you saw me with him, this flash of hatred came into your eyes. Every time I saw that flash, a piece of my soul died."

"And every time I saw you two together, a part of me died as well."

She put his face in her hands and moved them around to his neck. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. To Clopin's surprise, Diamanta slightly pulled away. She looked directly into his eyes.

"Now that I am not in a drunken daze," she said softly, "I can do this properly." With that, she leaned forward and kissed him.

"How romantic," came a bitter, cold voice from the door of the wagon. They looked up, and to their horror, Gautier stood at the opening of the wagon, a twisted smile spread across his face.


	19. The Entertainer

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

I'm sorry but I won't be finishing this fanfiction until I finish my current fanfiction for harry potter. I haven't even gotten halfway through and submissions to phoenixsong are tomorrow. (yikes!) So I'll be putting off for a while, but stay tuned for more chapters!

Chapter #19

"Please, no! To kill me is to kill my child!" Diamanta heard a familiar voice plead. She looked past Gautier to see Esmeralda on her knees in front of a pitiless soldier, Phoebus at her side. Gautier must have understood what Diamanta was looking at, for he turned his head and spoke his orders to the soldier.

"Leave the gypsy be! I only want her," he said, pointing to Diamanta, and after some thought, pointed to Clopin, "and her beau."

"But sir, they are the ones who—"

"I know what they did! You were trained to follow orders, and follow orders you will! Take the gypsy girl and her beau!"

Within seconds the two of them were hauled roughly out of the wagon.

"_No! What did Clopin ever do?_" Diamanta screamed. Gautier smiled sourly.

"I want him dead for my own personal reasons." Another smile full of unholy desire spread across his face before he spoke in a voice so soft that only Diamanta could hear. "But _you_ I would like to speak to _privately_ before your death." Though Clopin could not hear Gautier, he knew what he was saying due to the terrified expression Diamanta gave him. To Clopin's entertainment, she spat in Gautier's face, a direct hit into his eye.

"Pig," she hissed before he slapped her with his ringed hand. She tasted blood. If she wasn't being held tightly by one of his men, she would have stumbled and fallen backward.

"Take them away," Gautier ordered, and within minutes, Diamanta and Clopin were shoved out of the Court of Miracles, onto the cold streets of Paris, and into a horse drawn wagon used for carrying prisoners.

"I'm sorry," Diamanta said quietly after the wagon began to move. Clopin looked up at her.

"What?"

"I said I'm—"

"I heard what you said. But what do you need to be sorry about?"

"I shouldn't have pulled you into this. This was purely between Gautier and myself, and I dragged you into this." A tear fell from her eye. "And now you're going to die." She pulled her legs to her chest and sobbed into her knees. Clopin scooted to her side and wrapped his arms around her, getting his shirt wet with her salty tears in the process. She put her head on his chest. "How did this happen? How could Paris let another judge like Frollo take over? It's madness." Clopin didn't speak. He appeared to be lost in thought.

For a while they sat there; Clopin sitting with an expression of concentration set upon his face, and Diamanta leaned against his chest sobbing softly and praying for a miracle. After what seemed like several years, the wagon eventually stopped. She sat up abruptly and clung to Clopin, not ready to let go. The door flew open, revealing the same soldier that was ready to send Esmeralda, a woman with child, to death row. To Diamanta's surprise, instead of embracing her in return, Clopin pushed her away and quickly got to his feet and bowed. The soldier raised an eyebrow.

"Bonjour monsieur! Qu'un jour ensoleillé!" Clopin said in a too-cheery voice.

"What are you talking about?" the solider said after giving Clopin a look that stated _You must have gone insane!_ "It looks like it's about to rain."

"Oh, I'm just trying to make conversation," Clopin said. "It's how I attract an audience."

"Audience?"

"But of course! Don't you know? I'm an entertainer," Clopin said with a back handspring to prove his point. Though he tried to hide it, both gypsies could see that the soldier was amazed at the athletic ability Clopin possessed, especially since Clopin didn't appear to have a single muscle on him. "And my only wish is to perform one last show before my death." The soldier grunted in approval, though Clopin could see the masked excitement on his face. In the blink of an eye Clopin pulled out his puppet.

"What's the story going to be about this time?" it asked excitedly. The soldier stared at him in disbelief. As Clopin did most of the time, he ignored anyone who gave of the impression that he was insane.

"This is a tale of a girl and a monster," Clopin said, looking directly at Diamanta, who was oblivious to what his story was to be about. Clopin began to sing to the same tune of his more popular performance "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". "Dark was the night when our tale was begun in a town in Paris, France. A child shuddered in fear of her father at home in Paris, France." Diamanta's eyes widened. _How could he do this?_ She thought to herself. Clopin knew how much she hated to speak of her childhood. Despite the hurt expression Diamanta gave him, he continued. "For her father beats her when he's angry. And pity she had not a chance. For he murdered her mother and cared for no other, but tonight," Clopin paused for suspense, "tonight he shall regret." Diamanta stared at Clopin, her eyes forming tears from the horrid memories of the childhood her father took from her.

"Please, no," Diamanta begged. "You know that I hate this." The soldier seemed amused at her pain, though he didn't understand where it came from.

"Continue, gypsy," he said with a chuckle. "_I _would like to know what happened to this miserable child!" Clopin looked at Diamanta, who now had several rivers of salty tears ran down her cheeks. Clopin bent down to brush away her tears.

"'Tis all part of the plan, Dia. It will be over soon," he whispered into her ear.

"Are you going to finish this story, or shall I send you to Judge Thomas Gautier now?" the solider complained.

"I want to see it, too!" the puppet screeched. "C'mon, Clopin! Finish it! I want to hear the rest of your story.

"Very well, then," Clopin said with a sigh. He cleared his throat and continued in his amazing musical voice. "Her father had beaten her not far before life's line." He paused again for the soldier's anticipation. "But she edged toward to the door, her only chance at life."

"What happened?" the soldier asked impatiently. "Did she get away? Did her father catch her?" Clopin froze. As Diamanta almost suspected, this was one of Clopin's rushed, half-baked plans. And, as usual, he wasted time thinking of a way to finish his plan.

"Yes, what _did _she do? Did she escape? Or, perhaps, did her father finish what he started and murder the poor child?" the puppet squeaked. Clopin hit the puppet over the head with his free hand.

"Don't be so impatient! Clopin will tell you what happened."

"What happened? Tell me, tell me!"

"Quiet!" Clopin shouted in mock-anger. The soldier was growing weary of this little act and came toward the two to pull them out of the wagon. Diamanta suddenly stood up.

"I'll tell you what happened," she said, imitating the low, mysterious voice Clopin spoke in when telling an especially dramatic story.

"What?" the soldier said in a bored tone. Diamanta smiled in an almost wicked fashion as she reached into her deep pocket for her rather handy disappearing powder. She casually took her hand out of her pocket with a fist full of the pink powder.

"_She ran_!" In one fluid motion, Diamanta threw the powder to the ground, grabbed Clopin's arm, and leaped out of the wooden wagon, leading her and Clopin to safety.


	20. Notre Dame

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

Whoa…I didn't really expect to take this long to update on my fanfic. You see, I've been studying for midterms until my face looked like this:

And also drumroll MY FANFIC GOT ACCEPTED TO PHOENIXSONG! does snoopy dance …wow…I have no life…

Well, here's my updated fanfic. It's not finished yet…I think it may need about a chapter or two. Either way, keep checking up for updates. I'm working on the 21st chapter right now!

Chapter #20

After running for nearly two miles, Clopin and Diamanta rested under a large oak tree far from harm's way. To match their moods, it was beginning to rain.

"Oh, just _great_!" Diamanta complained, taking notice to the weather. "We're soaking wet, we're wanted in most of Paris, and we have nowhere to go!"

"Don't forget to mention that it's raining," Clopin said with a small smile as he sat down and leaned against the thick trunk of the tree. Diamanta sat next to him, her head resting on his shoulder.

"What are we going to _do_?" Clopin thought for a moment.

"We could go back to the Court of Miracles."

"Gautier's found our hideaway, remember?" Diamanta said without much thought. Clopin stroked his beard for a moment.

"We could sneak to Belgium."

"You're king. You can't just _leave _your people. They're counting on you for their survival. If it wasn't for you we probably wouldn't even _have _this Court of Miracles." They both sighed.

"We could pray," Clopin said with a smile. Diamanta nearly jumped up.

"That's it!" Clopin raised an eyebrow at her.

"Pray?"

"We'll claim sanctuary at Notre Dame! That's how your story goes, doesn't it? A gypsy is running from the authorities and claims sanctuary."

"Yes, right before she's killed and has her only child given to Frollo."

"But it kept Esmeralda alive, didn't it? She claimed sanctuary, and she was safe." Diamanta stood up. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to Notre Dame. Are you coming or not?"

"Dia, you'll get killed."

"I'll also get killed if I just stay here." Clopin sighed and tried to compromise.

"Tomorrow, okay? We'll go the first thing tomorrow morning. As soon as the sun comes up we'll leave."

"Go to sleep now and wake up with twenty of Gautier's men surrounding us the next morning? No thank you." Clopin gave Diamanta a long, exaggerated sigh.

"Fine. We'll leave for Notre Dame as soon as night falls. That way we won't be seen as easily." Diamanta nodded in approval before taking her hair and wringing it out from the rainwater. It wasn't until then when Clopin notice how breathtakingly beautiful Diamanta was in the rain, water trickling down every nook and cranny of her perfectly formed face. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"Kiss her!" the puppet, which had been silent for a while now, screeched excitedly, clapping its tiny hands together as if this were nothing more than a romance movie. Diamanta threw her head back and laughed the airy, carefree laugh which Clopin admired so much.

"Puppet!" Clopin exclaimed in a mock-embarrassed voice, adding to the joke.

"You know you lllooooovvveeeee her!" the puppet said, emphasizing the word in a childlike manner. To Clopin's surprise, Diamanta leaned in and kissed him.

For the first time in his life, he was completely lost for words. Even in his most embarrassing moments he was able to come up with some sort of quick retort within a few seconds. But this was different. At this point Clopin knew what love meant, and he knew he felt it strongly for Diamanta. As his mother used to say, _love has no words_. He simply smiled and leaned back against the large tree trunk, Diamanta coming to his side.

"The sun is setting," Diamanta asked. "We'd better get going." With that she stood up, pulling Clopin along with her.

To their surprise, the trip to Notre Dame wasn't as difficult as expected. Though they had to rush through dark alleyways and behind buildings, it wasn't so bad. Quickly they rushed inside the doors of the vast church to see a horrifying surprise: Judge Thomas Gautier with twenty of his men. Clopin hid behind one of the gigantic pillars and pulled Diamanta close to him.

"What is _he _doing here? In the house of God?" Diamanta hissed to Clopin. He put a finger to her lips.

"Silence," he whispered as the two listened to the judge.

"I know she's in here. Search for her everywhere and bring her to me _alive_. As for her lover, be sure to let me see his face before his death," Gautier instructed.

"Stop!" cried a voice which clearly belonged to someone of authority. "You must recognize the sanctity of the church! I shall have no one arrested here!"

"I understand the sanctity of the church, but I also recognize that our Lord punishes all those entwined with the cold world of crime and evil."

"Clearly, if any evil enters this church, it has come to confess." The two heard Gautier growl and leave, slamming the door behind him. Slowly Clopin inched away from the pillar, Diamanta still in his arms. The archdeacon looked at them and smiled warmly.

"Ah, so you are the ones they speak of."

"But—" Diamanta began.

"Yes, I know. You're innocent. I could never possibly believe Judge Thomas Gautier for a moment. Remember, my children, that not all leaders are good." Clopin and Diamanta nodded. "What brings you to God's glorious home?"

"You see, Archdeacon, we didn't actually come here to pray," Clopin explained.

"Oh?"

"As you may know, we are wanted by Gautier, and this was our only place of refuge."

"I understand," the Archdeacon said with a nod and a smile. "Ever since our dear Quasimodo departed from Notre Dame to be Paris' famed craftsman, the church has been quite empty. You are welcome to stay as long as you need to." With that, he showed them how to get up to their living quarters.

Diamanta easily respected the archdeacon. He was a kind soul with no intention of taking advantage of anyone, especially since he was able to get away with many things. What surprised Diamanta the most about the archdeacon was that he never appeared to have any of the desires the other men had. Not once did he look at her, nor any other woman, with lustful eyes. No matter how many attractive women crossed his path, he always treated him with the same respect as he did men.

Now that she was going to live in the cathedral, she decided to search it. It was an amazing place. Stained glass of angels and saints she had never heard of before were set across the walls, while people who have sinned various times dropped to their knees, begging for forgiveness.

"I beg of you, Maria, to forgive me," a familiar voice prayed. Diamanta spun around, and sure enough, her very own father was on his knees praying. She quickly hid behind a column and spied on him.

"I should have never set eyes upon the gypsy scum Cecile. Look what I have done! Not only have I married her, but I have sinned by having a _child_ by her. A child who has gone to her pitiful roots and now dances on the streets like a common whore. I tried to strip her of her innocence by Gautier. After all, when she left, she was the last bit of innocence I had. But she still lives. I have done your work, Maria, of ridding this world of her disgusting gypsy mother. But there's just something about Diamanta…something about her that I just can't murder. Please, let another do the deed of removing Diamanta of this world so she can burn in the flames of the next," he said. A small river of tears trickled down her face before running up to the bedroom the hunchback once lived in.

"What's wrong?" Clopin asked once he saw her.

"I saw my father," she whimpered.

"Uh-oh."

"He wants me _dead_. He prayed for someone to kill me." She wailed into Clopin's chest once he wrapped his arms around her. "He..he prayed for me to burn in hell!" Clopin stroked his hands through her soft hair.

"Not everyone is born into a loving family, Dia."

"Without any family, no one loves me! All of Paris is against me!"

"_I _love you." Diamanta pulled away and looked at him with watery eyes.

"I know. I love you too," she said quietly. Though she said these words before, they had never meant as much as they did now.

"Sometimes," he said, "the hardest part is to let go."

"But Clopin, I've always thought Papa would forget about the anger and love me."

"I know it's hard to realize it, Dia. But you have to let go. There is no need to dwell on an impossible dream."

"No," she said in barely a whisper, "I can't…"

"Maybe not now, but in the very near future you will learn to accept your father's feelings about this. He led her to the bed, where they lay together with his arms wrapped around her. Slowly, but surely, she fell asleep.

---

Diamanta woke up alone on the bed.

"Clopin?" she called. There was no answer. "Oh no," she whispered. At full speed, she rushed downstairs, nearly running into the archdeacon. "Did you see Clopin anywhere?" she asked.

"Should I have?"

"I can't find him! I woke up and he was gone!" As if on cue, the front doors flew open, revealing Gautier, his men, and a very wounded Clopin.

"I found a certain gypsy rat out in the streets today. Supposedly he wanted to tell the other gypsies where he was so they would not worry," Gautier said in a cruel, satisfied tone.

"No," Diamanta whispered.

"He wished to see you before his death. It will be a spectacular sight, no?" Gautier smiled wickedly, revealing several yellow, rotting teeth. "The hanging shall be held tomorrow at sunset!" Clopin looked up at Diamanta through the eye that wasn't swollen shut.

"I love you," was the last thing Clopin said before being whisked away to Paris' darkest jail cell. Pushing past the archdeacon, Diamanta ran up to her bedroom to cry her eyes out.

She woke up early the next morning while the sun was still rising.

"A visitor has come to see you," a familiar warm voice said. Diamanta looked up from her tear-stained pillow to see the archdeacon holding a glass of water and some bread for her, Esmeralda at his side. After setting the light breakfast on the bedside table, he left, leaving the two women in the room alone.

"How did you find me?" Diamanta asked.

"Word has it that Clopin was found leaving Notre Dame in search for a few gypsies." Diamanta nibbled on the edge of a slice of bread.

"I appreciate you coming here to comfort me," she said quietly. Esmeralda raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not here to comfort you. I'm here to ask for help." Diamanta looked up from her food.

"With what?"

"Dia, I think I may know how to save Clopin's life."


	21. Saving Clopin

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **No, the story isn't finished. I, too, am a Clopin fan and refuse to finish the story with such a terrible ending as I have in this piece of it. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but there'll be enough for the story to make all Clopin fans fulfilled.

Chapter #21

Diamanta stared at her in disbelief.

"_What?_"

"I know how to save Clopin's life, but I need your help. So will you help me?"

"I think you already know the answer."

"That's what I thought." Esmeralda sat on the bed next to Diamanta and began to explain her plan. Diamanta nearly choked on her bread.

"Have you lost your _mind_? Do you have any idea what would happen to us if we get caught?"

"Would you rather live in Notre Dame for the rest of your life, forever wondering if you could have possibly saved the life of the man you love?" Diamanta sighed and shook her head no.

"But how are we going to escape Notre Dame? There are guards at every door!" Diamanta exclaimed. Esmeralda smiled.

"I never said we were going to use a door." Esmeralda craned her head out the single window and made a small hand gesture.

Within seconds a man who Diamanta almost mistook for a monster climbed into the room. There was a horrid, misshapen hump on his back, forcing his large body to hunch over. Some strange thing with a mat of red hair protruded from his hump. It took a while for Diamanta to realize that this was the creature's head. On his eye was a wart, making him only able to see out of the other. His teeth were crooked and chipped, forcing his smile to be slightly lopsided. He was a terrible, almost disgusting sight.

"I'm sure you remember Quasimodo," Esmeralda said as Diamanta shook the hunchback's hand. As a matter of fact, she didn't. She knew of the heroic hunchback who rescued Esmeralda from the evil Judge Claude Frollo, but she had never actually met him. Even when he was nearly hanged, she never did get a good look at his face.

"Do I make you uncomfortable?" Quasimodo asked after noticing Diamanta's shocked expression. She shook her head no and smiled politely.

"How are we going to leave this place?" Diamanta said, changing the subject.

"Just climb on," Quasimodo said plainly. Unsure of exactly what to do, Diamanta let Esmeralda go on first. "Esmeralda, you hold on to me, and Diamanta, you hold on to Esmeralda," he instructed. Diamanta grabbed Esmeralda around the middle and took a mental note to never look down. She suddenly felt herself falling and had to bite her lip to not scream. As if nothing had ever happened, Quasimodo placed her onto the cobblestone ground after the series of sudden drops and unexpected twists and turns. Before she knew it, the hunchback was gone, leaving her and Esmeralda alone.

"Where are we?" Diamanta asked, suddenly aware that Quasimodo must have jumped across several homes instead of landing them directly in front of Notre Dame. They stood in an empty dark alleyway with tall, ominous-looking buildings on either side of them. One side of the alleyway led to what seemed like a small town. The other was blocked by a steel gate.

"You don't remember?"

"Should I?"

"You took me here when you were eleven." Suddenly it hit Diamanta. When she was a child, she always had such terrible, hellish nightmares. Esmeralda told her that the only way to escape these nightmares was to face her fears. So she had taken her here. This was the place where she last saw her father.

"Why are you bringing me here?"

"This is as close to the prison as we can get without being seen," Esmeralda replied.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Diamanta asked. "Let's go." The two dashed through the cobblestone streets as if their lives depended on it. A woman with Madame Doreen's round figure shook her head as Esmeralda and Diamanta rushed past her.

"The way they're going," she murmured, "is almost as if they have a life to save!" Of course, by the time she had said this, the two women were already at the prison. They snuck around the back right by the same place where they had escaped not too long ago. After testing a few of the stones which made up the gigantic prison, Esmeralda pulled away the stone which could have been made loose by gypsies from the past. They slipped through the wall and tunnel into the long familiar dark hallway.

"Are you sure this is where they're keeping Clopin?" Diamanta whispered.

"Where else would Gautier keep him?" Suddenly a loud snort erupted from the far end of the hallway. Diamanta and Esmeralda froze.

"Just a little further…just a _little _further…oh, come on you fat lard move over!" The two edged toward the voice and had to bite their tongues from laughing.

A morbidly obese guard sat snoring in front of Clopin's cell, a large amount of drool dripping from his mouth. And there was poor Clopin on his hands and knees, reaching for the guard's belt which held the keys to his cell. Since he hadn't noticed two beautiful women standing right in front of him, they decided to watch him in entertainment.

"You stupid, fat, pig of a man! _Move_!"

"It doesn't matter what you do. He's not going to move an inch," Diamanta said plainly once Clopin looked up. In one fluid motion, Esmeralda whipped the keys from the man and unlocked Clopin's cell. Diamanta launched herself onto him, and silently hoped to never let go.

"How predictable," a cold voice hissed from close by. "You get the bait, and the fish come right to it,"

"_Run_!" Clopin shouted.

"No," Esmeralda said. "We can't let you die without a fight." _For the sake of my child_, she thought to herself, _I'll kill this man._

"Oh, so it's a fight you want?" Gautier said, putting up two fists.

"You're not honestly going to fight this old man, are you? He'll break his back before you touch him!" a squeaky voice exclaimed. All of them looked down at Clopin's puppet.

"Has the gypsy lost his mind?" Gautier said, more out of entertainment than surprise. And he began to laugh. Short gasps of giggles, then a bellow loud enough to wake the dead (however the sleeping guard did nothing but stir and snore a bit louder).

"You've lost your mind, gypsy, and you think you're going to win!" Gautier giggled. "And against me, of all people! I've got guards at every entrance who could snap you like a stick!" Suddenly Gautier's eyes grew wide and he fell to the floor.

"My…heart…"

"He's having a heart attack!" Esmeralda exclaimed. The three hovered over him, staring at his limp body.

As if struck by lightning, Gautier sprang up, shoving the two women into the jail cell with the door slamming. He ripped the key from its hole and threw it across the hallway, trapping Diamanta and Esmeralda inside the jail cell.

"Do you think I'm that idiotic?" Gautier bellowed. "Do you think old, grey Gautier would lose a battle by having a heart attack?" The nearby guard began to wake and immediately sprang to his feet.

"Sir, the gypsy is outside his cell!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, get out you fool!" Gautier snapped. The chubby guard waddled out of the room. Gautier's eyes locked on Clopin. "Do you honestly believe I could escape from my grasp?" he hissed. "As a matter of fact, you've actually been participating wonderfully in my plan to trap Diamanta," he said after some thought. Clopin raised an eyebrow. Gautier threw his head back and laughed. "It's quite obvious that two people as attractive as Oliver and Diamanta would find each other. So after realizing the two would be together, I ordered my men to be very alert, since Oliver is bound to come out of the Court of Miracles. Of course, I caught him in my net. And with Oliver there is bound to be Diamanta. And where there is Diamanta, there is her puppy Clopin following her every step of the way."

"Shut up," Clopin hissed in a dangerous tone that neither Diamanta nor Esmeralda heard before.

"Oh, did I say something?" Gautier said with a cruel smile. "Was it the fact that Oliver would try to defy you by escaping from the Court of Miracles?" Clopin's eyes narrowed at him. "Or is that every time Diamanta is in trouble, you come along to save her, but" he nearly whispered the last words into Clopin's ear, "no matter how close you get to her, one of you gets hurt." At this the gypsy king threw himself on top of Gautier, clawing and bruising every inch of his face that he could reach.

"_Bastard_!" Clopin shouted. With amazing strength for a man his age, Gautier pried Clopin off of him and pinned him against the wall.

"It doesn't matter, gypsy! Either way one of you is going to die," Gautier said as he wrenched the gypsy's arm back. Clopin howled in pain. There was a sickening _crack _and suddenly Esmeralda screamed,

"YOU BROKE HIS ARM!" Clopin fell to the ground, whimpering and cradling his broken limb.

"Pitiful thing," Gautier hissed without a trace of sympathy in his eyes. He grabbed the dagger from Clopin's hilt and held it high over his head. "Let me end your suffering, gypsy." With that, he plunged it downward.

"_NO_!" Diamanta screamed. Both Clopin, who was still untouched by the blade, and Gautier looked up. Diamanta began to cry. "Gautier, I'll be yours if you promise not to lay a finger on Clopin."

"_What_?" gasped Clopin, Gautier, and Esmeralda all at once. Diamanta nodded. "I will respond to your every demand if you promise to not hurt Clopin or any other gypsy."

"Dia, no," Clopin whispered. Diamanta gave him a sad smile.

"This is all for the better, Clopin. I know what I am doing," she said. Indeed, she did know _exactly _what she was doing. Little did Gautier know, every sensible gypsy woman kept a dagger under her skirt in case someone as vile as him would come along and try to take advantage of her.

So she put on the act of the pathetic woman who was going to become Gautier's whore. She let him open the jail cell and kiss her. She let him free Esmeralda and Clopin. She even let him grab her by the waist and lead her into his bedroom. It was when he threw her onto the bed and laid on top of her that the act ended.

"I knew you would stop being such a fool and come to me," Gautier whispered into her ear with his vulgar breath.

"Some part of me always knew I would give in," Diamanta whispered back as she reached under her skirt and took the dagger in her hand. "However," she said as she held the dagger high over his back, "there was also a part of me that never wanted to give up." Before he could respond, she drove the blade into his back.

"Murderer," was the last thing that escaped his lips before his life drifted away from him. She quickly pushed him off her and pulled the dagger from his back. After wiping the blood off with his shirt and hiding the dagger under her skirt again, she fled from the monstrous building and into the Court of Miracles.

Meanwhile, Clopin lay on his mattress inside his wagon, tears streaming down his face. The last time he cried was when his mother died. He remembered her last words before she committed suicide.

_Today when that cruel man told me to go back to where I came from and threw me down onto the cobblestone streets, he may have made me bleed in pain, but no matter how hard he may try, he never took my dignity. I want you to be strong, Clopin. Not weak like me. _She had spoken to him about how she saw a pretty little girl with wavy brown hair looking down at them in horror from her window. _Now, if anyone comes to you for refuge, I want you to remember that little girl I told you about. I want you to remember that even the smallest things still need love. _Strangely, that was the same night when Diamanta came to him. Clopin wiped a tear from his face.

"Yet another woman I love taken away from me," he whispered before drifting off to sleep.

The next morning he felt something brush against his lips. He opened his eyes to see two of the most beautiful golden eyes stare him in the face.

"Wake up! We've got a long day ahead of us," Diamanta said before leaning in to give him another kiss. Several thoughts rushed through Clopin's mind. _How did she get here? How did she survive? Is Gautier still alive? _However, only one reached escaped from his lips.

"You're back."


	22. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Hunchback of Notre Dame or anything to do with it. However, I do own Diamanta Devereux, her father, Oliver, Cecile Devereux, Madame Doreen,and Judge Thomas Gautier.

**Note: **Hopefully, you've enjoyed my fanfiction. If not…well…you have no reason to be reading this last part. Now that I'm finished, I plan to add the Harry Potter story that's currently on Phoenixsong to this website. After that, I think I may be writing a Pirates of the Caribbean fanfiction. Jack/Anamaria, here we come!

Epilogue

Diamanta, Clopin, Phoebus, Esmeralda, and a four-year-old girl with straight raven hair, striking green eyes, and a smile that could turn heads stood around a single grave.

"I forgive you Papa," Diamanta whispered to the grave.

"What's she forgiving him for?" the little girl asked.

"Syeira, silence yourself," Esmeralda hissed.

"Sorry, Mama," Syeira said quietly.

"No, it's quite alright," Diamanta said. She bent down to her knees to meet the little girl's eyes. "A long time ago when I was a few years older than you, I was always in trouble with my father. But usually it wasn't my fault. In fact, my father was a _very _bad man who was mean to both me and my mother. But now, I can't see him in person to forgive him. So now I'm forgiving his ghost."

"But what if he doesn't want to be forgiven? What if he doesn't feel sorry for being a bad man?" Syeira asked. Both Esmeralda and Phoebus gave their daughter appalled looks. However, she didn't notice them.

"Well, for now I'm hoping that he'll let me forgive him. After all, I _am _his daughter."

"But he was mean to you!"

"That still doesn't change the fact that I am related to him. No matter what he did, I always find space in my heart to forgive him."

"_I _wouldn't forgive him."

"Yes, well that's because you have two parents who love you very much." Syeira looked up at Esmeralda and Phoebus.

"I guess I do."

"And you should feel lucky for that."

"How can I feel lucky for something that I've never lost?" All three adults were surprised at the little girl's answer.

"You could only imagine how terrible it could be without your parents. I believe that is the closest you will get to understanding how lucky you are." The child looked up at her parents again.

"Yes, I guess I am pretty lucky."

"Now let's go home," Diamanta said. Clopin picked up the small child and rested her on his hip.

"Tell me a story, Clopin!" Syeira demanded as they walked toward the Court of Miracles.

"What story should I tell, ma chere fille?"

"The one about the girl and the monster!" she squealed. Clopin smiled and exchanged glances with Diamanta and began to sing.

"Dark was the night when our tale was begun in a town in Paris, France. A child shuddered in fear of her father at home in Paris, France."

"Who's the song about?" the little girl interrupted. Clopin smiled.

"In time, child, you will know. You will learn everything about this amazing gypsy's tale."


End file.
